


Hello

by WeasleyLover10



Series: The Story of Amelia and Aaron [9]
Category: American (US) Actor RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:22:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27925951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeasleyLover10/pseuds/WeasleyLover10
Summary: In which Amelia has plans, Aaron has a moment and the Tveits play a game.
Relationships: Aaron Tveit/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Story of Amelia and Aaron [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1834342
Kudos: 7





	Hello

**Author's Note:**

> Not chronological as per usual.
> 
> Enjoy!

Mary tapped her pen against her desk.

“Alright, I have one more audition lined up for you.”

Amelia was confused by Mary’s clear hesitation as she slid the manila folder across the desk.

But then she opened it.

“Mary.” Amelia said with uncertainty.

“Please, please just think about it.” Mary pleaded.

Amelia stared at the file.

“This is going to be the hottest production in a few years, and we both know it.”

“I know.” Amelia said, chewing her lip in thought.

“You have two weeks to plan, so you’ll have to decide sooner rather than later. You know how hard it was to get this audition. Every major woman in the Broadway world is going to be gunning for this role.”

“I promise that I will think about it.”

And she did. The entire commute home, it was on Amelia’s mind. It would be massive for her career; she knew that. It would probably be her best shot at another Tony.

She unlocked the door to their apartment and kicked off her shoes.

“Ames?”

Amelia wandered into their living room to find Aaron sitting on the couch watching ESPN.

“Hi, baby.” She greeted.

She walked over to him and settled herself in his lap. He cupped her face and kissed her.

“Mmm, that was nice.” She said, scratching at the nape of his neck.

He smiled at her and gave her a quick peck.

“Ready for dinner?”

“Sure, I’m hungry.”

He picked her up bodily and held her bridal style in his arms.

“You’re gonna have to put me down if you want me to help cook.”

He rolled his eyes at her but listened to her advice anyway. Dinner didn’t take long, with the two of them working together. Cooking with Aaron was always fun. She was definitely the better cook between them, but he made up for it by belting along to whatever pop song played on their playlist.

Amelia plated while Aaron filled two glasses of wine.

“Cheers, babe.” He said.

She clinked her glass against his and took a sip. They chatted amicably as they caught each other up on their day.

“How was your meeting with Mary?” Aaron asked.

Amelia nearly choked on her chicken at his question. Thankfully she didn’t, but she still swallowed hard.

“Sheer got me an audition.”

“That’s great, Ames! What show?”

Amelia took a large gulp of wine. She wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to react.

“She got me an audition for Satine.”

Aaron immediately stopped chewing.

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. The paperwork is in my purse. She doesn’t know about you, for the record. Although I think she’s suspicious.”

Aaron took a large sip of wine himself.

“You’d think she and E would compare notes.”

“I don’t think they talk business much unless we ask them to. Not about us, at least. Maybe about other clients, but I think they mostly just gossip about when we’re gonna have a baby.”

Aaron flushed red at her comment, and she giggled. He speared a piece of chicken onto his fork as a serious look crossed his face.

“Well…Are you going to do it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to step on your toes.”

“It would be an amazing opportunity for you. They’re not just giving these auditions out to everyone.”

“I know, but Aaron.”

She grasped his hand that was sitting on top of the table.

“We both know that you were born to play Christian, my love. I don’t want to jeopardize that.”

Aaron smiled at her gratefully and kissed the hand that rested on top of his. She squeezed his hand and went back to her dinner.

“Take the audition. You never know what could happen. Plus, now I have someone to practice my kissing scenes with.”

* * *

“Would you like a drink?” He asked.

“Sure! That would be great.” She said.

She followed behind him as they muscled their way toward the crowded bar.

The venue was packed. Aaron had no choice but to sandwich himself against her side once they finally reached the bar. She couldn’t help but feel the body heat roll off him.

“What would you like?” He asked.

The sound of his voice at her ear made her body clench with want.

“Tequila and Sprite. Thanks.”

He smiled at her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Eventually, he extracted their drinks from the bar and held them high above his head as they fled the crowded area.

“Jeez. Talk about claustrophobic.” He said as he handed her the mixed tequila drink.

She laughed and took a large sip.

“So you went to school for dance?” He asked, also sipping his drink.

“I did, yeah.”

“Where did you go?”

“Michigan.”

“Ah. Great program!”

“Yeah, I’m a bit of a diehard, to be honest. Did you go to school?”

Aaron flushed a little at the question.

“I did. I went to Ithaca, but I dropped out sophomore year to join the Rent tour.”

“The national tour? Wow.”

She was clearly impressed, and Aaron blushed a little deeper.

“Yeah, I mean, I just got lucky. I had switched majors from business to acting not long before that, and it all just happened really fast.”

“That’s crazy. But I’m not surprised, really. Like I mentioned earlier, I saw you in Next to Normal. It was amazing.”

“Thanks.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

They both drank again. They weren’t trying to fill an awkward silence necessarily; they both just found themselves feeling a bit nervous.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“When did you graduate?”

“Last year.”

“And you think I’m impressive? You landed an ensemble role in less than a year.”

She shrugged.

“Like you said. I just got lucky. Plus, a college professor was able to pull some strings.”

“Well, to feeling lucky.” He said.

He held out his almost finished drink, and she smiled.

“To feeling lucky.”

She clinked her glass against his and downed the last of it. Aaron was slightly bemused but mostly captivated.

“What? Don’t know many girls who can handle their liquor?”

“Not on Broadway, no.”

“Well, I think you’ll find that I’m not like most girls, Mr. Tveit.”

Aaron broke out in a wide grin, downed his drink too, and then proceeded to put the empty glass down on a nearby high-top.

“Care to teach me how to dance?”

“I’m sure you’re not completely incapable.”

“I’ll let you be the judge.”

He offered his now empty hand to her, and she took it. He immediately waffled their fingers together and pulled her through the crowded venue and toward the dance floor.

He only let go of her hand when they finally reached the crowd of people.

He wasn’t that bad of a dancer at the end of the day. He was definitely a bit dorky, but it made her laugh. But he took her pointers with grace and aplomb.

Amelia was in stitches from laughing when the song shifted to a slower number, and thus the mood shifted too. Aaron offered his hand, and she took it.

He pulled their bodies close together and wrapped an arm around her waist. Aaron was doing an admirable job leading them.

“I love this song.” She said.

He had to look down slightly as she was still shorter than him, even in high heels. But God, was she beautiful.

“Yeah, Billie Holiday is great.”

“Without Billie, the Andrews Sisters, Louis Armstrong, any of them, we wouldn’t have pop music.”

“Very true.”

Aaron tightened his arm around her and accidentally brushed her bottom.

“Sorry.”

“It’s ok.” She said, blushing slightly.

“So, how am I doing?”

“Leading?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Well, you haven’t stepped on my toes yet, so I would say pretty well.”

At her comment, Aaron became self-conscious of his feet and immediately looked down. Amelia couldn’t help but notice.

“Any suggestions?” He asked.

She placed a finger under his chin.

“Eyes on your partner. Always. And you can put your hand lower. It doesn’t bother me.”

He did as instructed, and the look in his eyes made her feel some type of way. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt such a strong, palpable attraction to someone.

The last few lines of Billie Holiday’s “I’ll Be Seeing You” played as Aaron and Amelia continued to sway.

“Would you like another drink?” He asked.

“Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”

“Same thing?”

She nodded.

“Ok, I’ll be back.”

He squeezed her hand and made his way through the crowd. Somewhere in the venue was Mary, but Amelia hadn’t seen her since she had left their car and met Aaron.

It didn’t take Aaron long to return, much to Amelia’s surprise.

“Wow, that was fast.”

“I know. Seems like people have cleared out.”

Amelia frowned at the thought of having to go home. She wanted to spend more time with Aaron.

“So…” Aaron trailed off, running a finger around the rim of his glass.

“Yes?”

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate my skills?”

She laughed good-naturedly.

“Good enough for a second date?” He asked, raising the glass to his lips.

Her eyes lit up at his forward question, a smile growing on her face.

“A solid 7.5. Nothing that can’t be fixed with another date or two.”

Aaron couldn’t stop the smile from blooming, his dimples popping prominently.

She just giggled and tried to reel in her excitement by taking a long sip of her tequila.

* * *

It was only after Aaron gave his blessing, and following some serious nagging from Mary that Amelia agreed to audition for Satine.

She knew it was a bit arrogant, but she wasn’t surprised when she made it to the last audition before the chemistry tests. Aaron, too, had beaten out several Broadway mainstays, much to Amelia’s happiness.

After all the frustration he had experienced in the last few years, she was ecstatic for him.

**From The Husband ❤️: Break legs!!!!! Call me when you can.**

**To The Husband ❤️: Will do. Love you bunches**

With her text sent, Amelia took a deep breath and entered the room. The audition panel had grown quite a bit since her initial audition. And even though she was confident in her abilities and had done this a million times over the years, it was still nerve wracking.

They made her run through several scenes just to test her acting range, which was fairly standard. The song, however, was somewhat new. They had finally finished the core songs for the show and had sent them to Amelia about a week and a half ago. Before that, she had just been singing whatever she wanted.

“It’s then that those louses go back to their spouses!”

Amelia grinned at the panel, putting on the biggest showgirl face she could.

“Diamonds! Are a girl’s! Best!”

She paused a beat before she sang the final line of the song.

“Friend!”

She held the note for several seconds, hoping that it would show her range and vocal stamina. The song ended, and Amelia was left panting as the panel clapped politely.

“That was excellent, Amelia. Thank you.” Alex Timbers, the director, said.

“Thank you. It was a pleasure to be here today. I appreciate the opportunity.”

Now all Amelia could do was wait for their call.

This was always the worst part, the waiting. And it was funny. She had undoubtedly been hesitant to take this audition in the first place. Not because she didn’t want or think she could do it but because she knew Aaron wanted the show more. But now that she was more than halfway through the process, her competitiveness and drive were taking over.

A few weeks later, Aaron and Amelia had just returned to their place from a run on a Friday morning. Amelia was sitting on the counter next to the refrigerator, drinking the cup of coffee Aaron had handed her when his phone rang.

“Hello?” He said.

She watched him as he pushed scrambled eggs around their egg pan.

“Yes, this is Aaron.”

She took a sip of her coffee and surveyed her husband. His gray ‘Rent: National Tour’ t-shirt was clinging to his sweaty body, and she was really enjoying the view.

“Hey, Alex. Good to hear from you, man!”

Amelia’s eyes widened when she realized who was on the other end of the line. She all but flung herself off the counter, her coffee nearly sloshing all over the floor. She wasted no time in excitedly crowding his personal space. He rolled his eyes at her sarcastically and attempted to hold her at arm’s length.

“Oh, man! Are you serious? Thank you. I’m ecstatic!”

Aaron had to fight back a grin at whatever Alex had been saying on the other end of the line. He also tried not to laugh as Amelia clearly began to silently celebrate next to him.

“I can do Tuesday.”

Amelia gripped the hem of his sweaty shirt, too excited to resist any longer.

“Yes, you can send the details to Elin.”

Aaron reached a hand out and smoothed down her double Dutch braids. When he reached the bottom of her hair, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and she curled into his chest.

“Great. I’ll see you all next week. Thank you again for this amazing opportunity.”

Amelia pressed a kiss to his slightly exposed collarbone, and he squeezed her shoulder as he neared the end of the call.

“Alright. Thanks again. Bye.”

Amelia waited for a beat, making sure that the call had ended.

“You got it????” She asked excitedly.

“I got to the chemistry tests for Christian!”

Amelia typically wasn’t much of a squealer, but squeal she did as she threw her arms around Aaron’s neck. He laughed as he wrapped an arm around her bare waist.

“These eggs are going to burn if we don’t move them, ma’am.”

She whined but allowed him to shuffle them towards the stove to finish the eggs before they burnt. He turned off the fire and then finally turned his attention to his wife, whose arms were still wrapped firmly around his neck.

“Congratulations, baby. I’m so fucking happy for you, Aaron.”

Aaron smiled sheepishly but broke out into a full-on grin when she pushed forward to kiss him with gusto.

He pulled away from her and gave her a final firm peck.

“Hungry?” He asked.

He watched her eyes darken, and she plied her fingers under his sweat-slicked shirt.

“Ravenous.” She said, rolling her body into him.

“That’s not what I meant.”

She didn’t say anything. She just continued to stare at him with her breathtaking eyes and pressed firmly against his abs.

“Later.” He said.

“Aaron.” She whined.

Aaron smoothed down her braids again, tugging lightly when he reached the bottom. The pull exposed her throat to him, and so he leaned in, sucked quickly before releasing her with a pop.

“Later.” He said again.

“Yes…sir.” She said, her eyes twinkling as she teased him.

Aaron had to resist the urge to groan and instead managed to ignore her giggling long enough to plate breakfast.

Much to Amelia’s chagrin, her growling stomach had overpowered her desire to convince Aaron to take her to bed.

She was finishing the last of her coffee as Aaron sat next to her at their table when her own phone rang. She swallowed quickly and answered.

“Hi, Amelia. It’s Alex Timbers. How are you?”

“Hi, Alex. I’m good, thanks.”

Aaron’s eyes lit up just like hers had earlier. Amelia smiled lightly at him.

“Good. Glad to hear that. Well, I’ll cut to the chase. We’ve decided to go in a different direction.”

Amelia’s face dropped, and Aaron obviously noticed. The whiplash from the high of Aaron’s news to this low was hitting her like a ton of bricks.

“You are immensely talented. But it’s just not a good fit. I’m sure you’ve also heard from Aaron by now. To a certain degree, we are worried about casting a married couple as our leads.”

Amelia ran her free hand over her face. Aaron just scooted his chair closer to her and rested a hand on her knee.

“Ok.”

“But I do have a proposition for you.”

“What does that mean?”

“You are one of the brightest stars on Broadway. Anyone can see that. We would be honored to have you in the production. With your dancing and vocal range, we all feel strongly that you would be one hell of an anchor for our Lady Ms.”

She did love this show. Now that she was engulfed in the material, she would consider being involved.

“Can I have a few weeks to think about it?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll just-I’ll be honest, Alex. At this point, for me, what happens here with Aaron is going to be a deciding factor. You all need to do what’s best for the production. I’m not saying you need to choose him. But I don’t see the point in signing up for what would essentially be an ensemble role without him there. I love this production, and I would be ecstatic to be a part of it. But that’s going to be something that will factor into my decision.”

“I understand, Amelia. 100%.”

“Ok. I’ll be in touch.”

“Sounds good. Thank you for your time, Amelia. I look forward to hearing from you.”

“Yeah. Bye, Alex.”

She ended the call and had to resist the urge to throw her phone across the room. Instead, she settled for slamming it down on the table.

“Fuck!” She swore.

She pushed away from the table angrily, the chair squeaking loudly, and buried her face in her hands. She felt Aaron shift beside her, and he wrapped his arms around her.

“What happened?” He asked softly.

She angrily wiped the tears from her face.

“They’re going in another direction. Oh, and they were concerned about casting a married couple. But don’t you dare drop out in protest.”

Aaron rested his chin on her shoulder and looked at her.

“I won’t. I’m sorry, baby.”

“I fucking hate rejection. God, and we were having such an amazing morning.”

He nodded sympathetically.

“What was that bit at the end there?”

Amelia harrumphed.

“They offered me a spot in the show.”

“Really?”

Aaron was surprised. That was certainly unusual. They clearly wanted Amelia in the production.

“Yeah.”

“It’s not the worst idea. You really loved the script and the numbers so far.”

“I know. I’m just too heated to even think about it right now.”

“Fair enough.”

She took in a deep breath and slowly blew it back out. She managed to get a smile on her face.

“Whatever. We’re celebrating you tonight.”

“Ames. We don’t-“

“As long as it involves alcohol, I’m in. This is huge, Aaron. I’m so excited for you.”

He picked her up so that she was straddling his hips now. Her eyes were still a bit red, and he wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.

“I don’t deserve you.” He said softly.

“Shush. Yes, you do.” She said.

She tossed her arms over his shoulders and rolled her hips so that their lower halves met.

“I love you. Remember, this too shall pass.” He said.

She nodded and reveled in the feeling of his sweaty body against hers.

“Can we go have pity sex now?” She asked.

Aaron burst out laughing.

“I’m not joking.”

He just laughed harder as she leaned in to kiss him.

* * *

Amelia was in stitches as the cast sang as loud as they possibly could in the full stairway. She didn’t think it was possible, but she laughed harder when Aaron began to conduct the crowd.

“Happy Birthday, dear Aaron.”

He turned to his left, and his eyes connected with Amelia’s. As always, she was right by his side. The joy in his eyes made her feel all warm and fuzzy. She grinned at him as she sang with everyone else, and he winked back.

“Happy.”

The cast immediately began to harmonize, and Aaron doubled over with laughter.

“Birthday.”

Ricky’s voice carried so loudly in the small space that Amelia could barely hold it together. As they sang the final lines, Aaron conducted the last few notes.

“To. You.”

They all stopped singing, and Amelia immediately wolf-whistled loudly as their castmates whooped in excitement. Aaron’s gaze immediately turned to her, and she smirked at him. He just rolled his eyes and brushed his hair back as he readied to blow out the candles.

“Blowhard.” She said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Everyone died laughing as he just glared at her playfully. She beamed at him, her tongue peeking out between her teeth.

Aaron blew out his candles, and everyone cheered. Before she could react, he swiped a finger into the frosting, wrapped an arm around her bare hips as she was still in costume, and smudged her nose with it.

“Hey!” She yelled at him.

He licked it off with his tongue.

“Ew!” She whined, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“Get a room!” Ricky yelled.

Amelia flipped him off, and everyone laughed again. Aaron uncurled himself from her slightly and faced the assembled crowd.

“Let them eat cake!” He yelled.

With the crowd suitably distracted, he turned back to his wife.

“Is it gone now?” She asked.

He smiled warmly at her as she scrubbed at her nose.

“Just about.”

She shook her head at him but wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Happy early birthday, my love.”

“Thank you.”

He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, his tongue pressing against her lips as he begged for entrance. She consented and melted into him as their tongues tangled together.

Eventually, she pulled away when she could no longer breathe. When she opened her eyes, she was met with dark pupils instead of the normal blue irises. She was sure hers were just as dark.

“Mmmm. I really hope there will be more of that tomorrow.” Aaron said.

She tightened her hold around his neck, tangling a hand in his long hair.

“Oh, I’ve got plans. Don’t you worry.” She said.

He grinned and pecked her lips quickly this time.

“Let’s go eat some cake.”

“Oh, God. Yes, please.” She said excitedly.

The next morning, Aaron and Amelia slept in for the first time in ages. They were awake, but neither of them wanted to leave their bed.

“At some point, we need to go for a run, mister birthday boy.”

Aaron just pulled her body closer, slotting his leg in between hers.

“Can’t we just have sex or something?”

She smiled at him wantonly.

“I told you. I have plans.”

Aaron frowned slightly.

“Tease.”

“You can punish me for it later.”

His eyes lit up at her suggestion, and she kissed him. They broke apart, and she extracted herself from his hold so she could change into her gym clothes. She turned to find him still lying in bed, now spread eagle.

“Come on, you goof. The sooner we run, the sooner we can eat.”

It took a fair amount of cajoling, but eventually, she and Aaron went on their run. After an excellent pancake breakfast and a quick shower, Aaron was on the phone with his parents. This was all by design as Amelia had enlisted his mom’s help to distract Aaron while she implemented her aforementioned “plans.”

She was very much aware of how ironic it was that she intended to surprise Aaron with a new set of lingerie. It was even more ironic that the brand was French, but she didn’t care. It was girly and frankly more colorful than her costumes. She was so used to the blacks and dark reds now that this was a nice change of pace.

She also knew it was silly to put on lipstick when, inevitably, it would go everywhere, but it completed her look. She fussed with her freshly curled hair and then took a deep breath as she finally tied her kimono.

“Love you guys too. Talk to you soon.”

Amelia took one final deep breath as she heard Aaron end the call in their living room. She felt stupid being nervous after all these years, but it had been a long time since they had time to do anything like this.

She walked towards the living room and immediately spotted him on the couch. He was clearly texting a few people back but looked up at the sound of her heels clicking against the hardwood.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“Holy shit.”

She blushed at his reaction but continued to walk towards him.

“Told you I had plans.”

“I’ll say. You look-“

He seemed at a loss for words as she slinked towards him.

“Like me and not a twentieth-century Parisian whore?”

Aaron laughed hard, and she giggled as she finally reached the couch. Aaron finally stood up and he, even with her in heels, towered over her.

He held out his hand, and she took it. He raised his arm, and she spun slowly. The burgundy, floral kimono flittered slightly with the movement. Aaron caught a peek of her, mostly bare ass through the sheer fabric, and nearly keeled over at that moment.

Finally, they were face to face again, and Amelia slowly ran her hands up his arms, her favorite, and over his shoulders.

“Happy Birthday Aaron.” She whispered.

He craned down and kissed her, his hands cradling her face. They broke apart, panting, and Amelia thought her heart was going to burst. He shocked her by scooping her up in his arms, making her gasp in surprise.

She readjusted her arms so that they were still around his neck as he carried her to their bedroom. He set her down in front of the bed and knelt. He kissed each ankle as he unclasped her heels. She braced a hand against his shoulder as she became lopsided as he pulled off one shoe. The second shoe clattered behind them as he tossed it over his shoulder.

He stood back up and brushed her hair behind her ear. He reached forward, and his hand drifted up from her mid-thigh to the bottom of her kimono and to the tie. He couldn’t wait to loosen it, and with a laugh, he realized that she was a real-life present.

“What?” She asked.

“I just realized you’re a human present.”

“Like I said, I had plans.”

He shook his head in awe of her and finally undid her negligee. It parted and exposed the matching bra and panties underneath. He slid a hand up her exposed skin to her shoulder, pushed the kimono off, and then switched to the other shoulder. It slid down to her wrists, and she shook it off, causing it to pool on the floor against her heels.

He had his suspicions when he saw the singular band wrapped around her hips and had caught a glimpse when she had modeled her look for him before, but now he needed to see for himself.

“Spin.”

She obliged and heard him suck in a breath when he saw her bare ass. He couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and squeeze. He chuckled darkly when he noticed several new bruises that hadn’t been there the day prior. A hazard of being on Broadway, he thought.  
“I wish this could stay on. They do wonders for your assets,” He said, rolling a finger from the top of her thong to the bottom of her butt.

“You are such an ass man.” She said, laughing at him and his not so subtle pun.

She was looking at him from over her left shoulder, a joyfully coy look on her face. His eyes darkened at the look, and he made his move. He spun her around aggressively and kissed her. She released a loud moan into his mouth. She took that opportunity to slid her tongue into his mouth and ran it over the roof of his mouth.

They finally broke apart when neither of them could breathe. Amelia stared at Aaron, his eyes dark with want and red lipstick smeared all over his face. She let out a giggle at the state of him.

“I’m covered in lipstick, aren’t I?”

“Yeah. Sorry, not sorry.” She shrugged.

He growled playfully at her cavalier attitude, picked her up beneath her bare ass, and tossed her onto their bed. She bounced against the covers, and he crawled on top of her, his lips attaching to her neck.

He sucked hard, leaving a fresh bruise in his wake. Amelia tangled a hand in his hair and yanked him up to her mouth again. They kissed, Amelia’s legs curling up of their own accord as desire pooled in her stomach.

Aaron went to kiss his way down her body when Amelia stopped him.

“Wait. Aaron. Hold on.”

He groaned against her skin and suckled on her collarbone.

“What?” He said.

She shifted under him and rolled towards her nightstand.

“Where are you going?” He groaned.

She looked over at him. He looked thoroughly disheveled with his hair a mess, eyes dark, and cock clearly straining through his jeans.

“I have another surprise.”

She opened one of the drawers, grabbed something, and rolled back to his side. She held it out to him, and his eyes widened.

She had somehow procured a deep burgundy blindfold that was all but identical in color to her outfit.

“You didn’t.”

“I did.”

She held it out to him, and he took it in between his hands. Thanks to a drunken night with their castmates, the topic of sensory deprivation during sex had come up. One thing led to another, and they agreed to try it. Aaron just didn’t think this was how it would happen.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Course I am.”

Aaron leaned down and kissed her hard, causing her to run a foot down the back of his leg.

“Ok. Sit up.” He said.

She complied and found herself sitting right in front of him. She whined at the loss of his body heat when he stood firmly on the floor of their bedroom.

“Patience.” He counseled.

He pulled his shirt over his head, and his jeans quickly followed. She felt heat rush through her at the sight of the bulge in his boxers. He joined her back on the bed and took the blindfold in his hands again. He leaned forward and kissed her softly.

“Turn around.” He whispered against her lips.

She did so and brushed her hair over her shoulder. Aaron placed the blindfold over her eyes, and she readjusted it as needed.

“Good?” He asked.

“Yeah. Fuck, this is so weird.”

“You still want to do this?”

“Oh yeah. You’ll just have to try this sometime.”

“Gladly.” He said.

He kissed where her shoulder met her neck and then knotted up the blindfold. Amelia couldn’t see a thing, and it was disorienting, which was the point obviously.

She startled when she felt Aaron at her ear. He chuckled darkly and put his lips to her ear.

“You ok?”

“Peachy.” She said.

She leaned into him as he nipped her earlobe and then kissed his way down her neck. He left one firm peck on her shoulder and then pushed her down. She gasped at his forcefulness. But then the gasp turned to whines and moans as he trailed his lips and fingertips down her spine.

He unclasped her bra and kissed his way down to the small of her back. She felt the weight of his body disappear again and heard him shucking his boxers. She squealed when suddenly he pulled her down to the edge of the bed with a firm hold on her ankles. He flipped her over, and she felt him push the straps of her bra down her arms. She helped them both by sitting up, which allowed him to pull her bra off.

He pushed her back down and immediately paid close attention to her chest. Not being able to see what he was doing was driving her crazy. The second she got used to the attention he was paying to one breast, he would switch.

“Fuck.” She swore.

He snarled, pleased with her reaction, and then soothed a particularly hard bite to the underside of her breast with his tongue. When he was satisfied, he began to kiss his way down her stomach. He smiled against her skin as she tensed beneath his ministrations.

She felt his lips on the strings of her thong and froze.

“Don’t you dare rip these.” She said.

“I won’t. I’d like to see them again so.” He said, trailing off.

She twitched when she felt his nose at her mound.

“You’re so wet. I hope that doesn’t ruin these.”

She just whined at his words. He peeled her panties off quickly and went right back to his previous spot. His lips latched onto her clit, and her hips snapped so hard that he had to hold them down.  
It occurred to Aaron that it was slightly ironic that he was giving pleasure to her on his birthday. But to see her so at his mercy above him was enough to nearly send him over the edge every time.

For Amelia, it felt like her sensitivity had ratcheted up to a 15 because she couldn’t see what he was doing. She only felt it at the moment.

She jolted again when he curled a finger into her.

“Aar-.” She choked out, barely able to say his name.

“Tell me what you want, Amelia.”

“More.”

He curled a second finger into her, and she nearly screamed. She felt herself nearing the edge, and it was miserable not to see what Aaron was going to do next.

After all their years together, he knew how to play her like a fiddle.

“Fuck. Aaron.” She screamed.

He had suddenly inserted a third finger and reattached his lips to her clit. In a mere matter of seconds, she came completely undone. Her body convulsed underneath his hold, and he coached her through her orgasm.

She panted as he crawled his way back up her body and kissed her. She could taste herself on his lips. When they parted, he spoke again.

“You squirted a little bit.”

“Did I?” She asked.

“Yup.” He said, pecking her lips firmly.

“Huh. Not like I could see that.”

He laughed and ran a hand over the blindfold and across her cheek.

“I like this blindfold. You’re a genius.”

He shifted, and she felt his now hard cock against her body.

“Aaron.” She said.

She reached blindly for him and eventually found his face. She pulled him down and kissed him fiercely.

“What?” He asked when they finally parted.

“Fuck me.”

He grinned, not that she could see that, and kissed her back. He maneuvered his way down her body and parted her legs.

He nipped the inside of her thigh suddenly, which made her gasp. He then rolled away, much to Amelia’s dismay.

“Where the hell are you going?” She whined.

She grasped for him aimlessly and managed to find the top of his head.

“Condom.”

She growled with impatience.

“It’s fine.”

“Ames.” He counseled.

How he was able to think so intelligently at this point was beyond her.

“Fuck. How are you able to think straight right now?”

He laughed and looked at her. She seemed so helpless between the blindfold and her bare body. It made him vibrate with need.

“Believe me, darlin’. I’m barely holding it together right now.”

“Well, screw the condom and rail me, birthday boy.”

Before she could even take in a breath, he was yanking her legs apart and had pushed into her. With no warning before he thrust into her, she was rendered completely speechless.

It didn’t take long for her to near the edge, given how sensitive she was after Aaron ate her out.

“Aaron.” She groaned loudly.

He slid back up her body and kissed her as they rocked together.

“Let me see those eyes.” He said.

He shoved the blindfold off, and she blinked rapidly at the influx of light. It took a second for her eyesight to readjust. When her vision finally focused, Aaron’s flushed face came into view.

“Hello, you.” He said.

“Hi.” She said, grinning up at him.

He thrust up into her again, and she moaned loudly. She tried desperately to regain her bearings. She’d be damned if he did all the work on his birthday.

With remarkable strength, she managed to roll them over, much to Aaron’s astonishment.

“You’re just full of surprises today, aren’t you, Mrs. Tveit?”

“Gotta keep you on your toes, Mr. Tveit.”

And she pushed herself back down on him. He grinned as he watched her do all of the work above him. He let her ride him for a few minutes before he could no longer resist and pushed up to kiss her aggressively.

He slid his hands down her body to push them both over the edge. Aaron kissed her deeply as he came. Moments later, she snapped too. Eventually, they both came back to their senses, with Aaron still buried inside her.

“I love you.” She said.

She pushed his hair back with both hands.

“I love you too. Thank you for one hell of a birthday present.”

“You’re welcome. It was fun.”

He kissed her swollen lips and smiled softly at her when they broke apart. She let out a hoarse laugh.

“What?”

“You are just covered in lipstick.”

“Totally worth it.” He said, his voice cracking too.

* * *

Amelia held Aaron’s hand tight as they made their way through the streets of New York. She was thankful that the weather was decent, even though it was late fall/early winter. It gave her the chance to dress fashionably as opposed to dressing for functionality. After all her years on Broadway, Amelia knew that first impressions were everything.

She was dressed in a big red cable knit sweater, ripped light wash jeans, brown suede ankle boots, and a wool coat. She had also stolen one of Aaron’s beanies that morning, which had just caused him to shake his head at her. But despite her layers, her nose was still freezing.

So when they stopped at the final crosswalk about a block away from the theater and the rehearsal space, Amelia buried her face in Aaron’s scarf.

“Cold?” He asked.

She just nodded.

“Told you not to wear ripped jeans.”

“It’s not my knees. It’s my nose.”

Aaron turned his head to look down at her, and she looked up at him through her lashes.

“You’re such a baby.”

She finally moved her face from his scarf, and her nose was quite red. Aaron thought it was cute.

Aaron gave her a little Eskimo kiss, which made her giggle.

“Better?” He asked.

“No. Not really.” She said, still giggly.

Aaron checked the crosswalk light, and it still hadn’t changed. So he actually kissed her this time. When they pulled apart, his hot breath hit her face, and that made a difference.

“How about now?” He asked, his voice several octaves lower.

She cleared her throat as she shifted uncomfortably. The low timbre to his voice shot straight to her nether regions.

“Much better.”

He grinned dirtily, fully aware of what he was doing to her. Their moment was interrupted by the sound of the crosswalk signal turning to walk.

Aaron let out a sigh as he really wanted to kiss her again, but instead, they finally crossed the street, their hands still firmly intertwined.

As they got closer to the theater, the more nervous Amelia got. She was terrified. What if the rest of the ensemble hated her? She understood how hard it was to get into a production like this. She had been one of those budding actors once upon a time. She just didn’t want people to think she had stolen the spot from anyone trying to break into Broadway.

They were half a block away when Amelia froze. Aaron jolted when he continued to move, and she didn’t.

“Ames?”

“Aaron-I-“ She cut off.

“What’s wrong?”

“What if they hate me?”

“Who? The cast?”

She nodded, too freaked out to speak.

“Why on earth would they hate you?”

He was genuinely confused by her reaction.

“Because I’m too qualified for this part. What if they think I think I’m better than everyone else? Like I stole this from someone looking for their break.”

He just listened to her ramble and was quite alarmed by her reaction.

“What if they think I got this just because I’m sleeping with the lead?”

“Amelia.” Aaron said severely.

That one actually hurt his feelings. His harsh tone finally stopped her rambling.

“Sorry. I’m sorry, Aaron. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just-“

She huffed in frustration. Aaron braced her face in his hands, which forced her to look at him.

“I’m sorry. Obviously, we’re doing more than just sleeping together.” She said.

“I should hope so, seeing as our second wedding anniversary is in a few weeks.”

“I’m just terrified. What if this was a mistake?”

“Are you excited to be here?”

“Yeah. I’m really excited to see what they do with the show. I’m excited to do this together.”

“Then that’s all that matters. You are a fucking asset to this show. Don’t you forget it.”

She nodded, and Aaron placed a kiss on her forehead. He took her hand, and they walked the rest of the way to the stage door.

After clearing things with security, they made their way to the large rehearsal room and found that most of the workshop cast had arrived. Amelia could feel all eyes on them as they shucked their coats and hats.

“People are staring.” She said, her voice low.

“They’re staring at me, darling.”

She could tell by his tone that he was teasing.

“Wow, conceited much?” She said.

He just winked at her and kissed her temple.

“Need me to come with you?” He asked.

“No, you’ll probably just scare them. Plus, you should go talk to Karen Olivo.”

“I’m not scary.”

Amelia sent him a “Bitch Please” look.

“How did you feel the first time you met Norbert?”

Aaron opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and closed his mouth.

“That’s what I thought.” She said smugly.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, his lips at her ear.

“Does that mean you think I’m as cool as Norbert?”

She just tried to shove him, but his hold on her was so tight that he didn’t even budge. He smattered her jaw with kisses, making her laugh and feel lighter.

“Stop it!”

He placed a wet kiss on her cheek and finally let her go. In a few strides, he was across the room and greeting Karen Olivo, who had just arrived.

Amelia meandered her way over to the ensemble. She had met Robyn Hurder briefly at a Broadway event a few years ago. It had only been passing niceties at the time, but it was coming in handy now.

“Hi! Robyn, right?” Amelia said as she greeted the woman.

“Yes. Hi!”

The two shook hands, and Amelia made sure to smile at her.

“I just wanted to reintroduce myself. We met a few years ago, right?”

Robyn’s eyes grew slightly at that.

“I’m surprised you remember that.”

Amelia shrugged, hoping it would put the woman at ease.

“I’m good with faces.”

“Well, let me introduce you to everyone else.”

Amelia followed Robyn to the assembled crowd. The other Lady Ms were there as well as most of the workshop ensemble.

“Hi, everyone. I’m Amelia, and I’ll be playing Travesty.”

“I-We know who you are.” Someone said.

Amelia blushed deeply. Apparently, her naturally confident persona was nowhere to be found today.

“You were amazing in Anything Goes.” Somebody else said.

She twisted her wedding and engagement rings nervously.

“Thank you. I really appreciate that. But I just want to say this now. I’m here to work my ass off just like all of you. We’re in this together.”

That seemed to go over well as they all nodded and smiled at her. But then Alex called everyone to attention, and Amelia found herself sitting in a large circle on the floor with the cast.

“I know it’s a little summer campy, but if everyone could go around say your name, your role, how long and/or where you live in the city and for fun, a song that you’ll always sing in the car.” Alex said.

Aaron was sitting across from her in the circle and went second after Karen.

“Hi. I’m Aaron Tveit, and I’ll be playing Christian. I have lived in New York since 2006, but I currently live in Astoria with my wife and our dog, Miles. And a fun song that I will always sing in the car is Shake It Off.”

Amelia fidgeted when Aaron referenced her. She genuinely couldn’t explain why, but she was still freaking out a bit.

She managed to calm her pounding heart while she listened to everyone else’s introductions. But then her heart rate spiked again as it finally became her turn.

“Hi.”

Aaron watched her from across the room. She still looked nervous, and for the first time in a long time, he watched her hesitate to give her married name. He just hoped that she could acclimate to everything and fast.

“Hi, I-I’m Amelia uh Tveit. I’ll be playing Travesty the Diamond Dog. I’ve lived in New York since 2008, and I currently live in Astoria with my husband and our dog.”

There was a slight murmur from the assembled crowd.

“Yeah, me. Hi! I’m the husband.”

Aaron’s comment brought much-needed levity as everyone, especially Amelia, laughed.

“Anyway. My favorite song to sing in the car is Tiny Dancer.”

There was an appreciative reaction from the cast at her choice. As the next person introduced themselves, Amelia released a deep breath. Her eyes connected with Aaron, and she smiled sheepishly at him. He winked, and for a moment, she felt at ease.

Several hours later, they were finally leaving rehearsal. Aaron waited until Amelia said goodbye to Holly James and Robyn Hurder before he came up to her. She had already put her stolen beanie on her head and was in the process of buttoning her coat when he pushed her hands aside and buttoned it for her.

“See. Told you it would be fine.” He said.

“Yeah, you were right.”

He finished buttoning her coat and then readied himself to leave.

“I’m sorry. What was that?” He asked.

“I hate you.” She said.

Despite her response, she still took his free hand in hers and led them out of the building.

“Say it again.” He goaded.

“Nope.”

“Please.”

“Nope. Saying it in the first place was a mistake cause now you’ll never shut up about it.”

“If I kiss you, then will you say it?”

She hesitated in her response just long enough that he decided to take advantage of her faltering. He reeled her in by their conjoined hands and kissed her deeply. He cradled her jaw as he slipped his tongue into her mouth. She let out a long whine against his lips, and he grinned.

“I really hate you.”

“Say it.”

“You were right.” She said bitterly.

“Ha!” He said gloating.

She rolled her eyes as they had to wait for the light to change.

Aaron pecked her lips, which made her smile against her better judgment.

“Love you too, baby girl.” He said.

* * *

Amelia frowned and stared at the bottle of tequila in her hand for a second. She shrugged to herself as she poured a bit more tequila into her cup of soda.

“Ames!”

Amelia was startled at the sudden sound of Karen’s voice. Her red crop top twirled as Amelia whipped her body toward the doorway.

“What?” She asked.

“What are you doing?”

“Making another drink.”

“Well, hurry up.”

Karen finally left her alone, and Amelia finished mixing her drink. She went to put the tequila back down but thought better of it and brought it with her to the packed living room.

It was hard to hear with all of the conversations happening. Nearly the entire Moulin Rouge cast was crammed into Karen’s apartment. Amelia found herself pulled into a conversation with Danny and Jacqueline, chatting about restaurants they had been to lately.

However, the amicable conversation ended when Danny excused himself to go to the bathroom, and Jacqueline went to the kitchen to grab a fresh drink. And so Amelia was alone with her glass in one hand and the bottle of tequila in the other.

“Babe!”

She heard rather than saw Aaron.

“Aar? Where are you?” She asked.

She wandered towards the sound of his voice.

“Down here.”

She made her way around a few more bodies and then walked around to the front of the couch. That was where she found him, sitting on the floor with his long hair tamed by his Yankees snapback.

“What’s up, Babe?” He said, gesturing his beer in greeting in her direction.

She smiled at him and navigated her way towards him. His back was resting against Karen’s couch with his long legs stretched out in front of him. He parted his legs and patted the empty space with his free hand.

She handed him her glass and then placed the bottle of tequila onto the ground next to him. That action gave him a nice look down her top, much to his happiness. She turned around and sat down. She scooted and braced her back against his chest. She turned her head to the right at an angle to look at him.

“Hi!” She greeted.

“Hi back.”

He placed his pointer finger under her chin, brought her face up to his, and kissed her. When they broke apart, she didn’t miss the shift in his gaze.

“Stop ogling my boobs.”

“Stop flashing me then.”

Amelia scoffed, and he nipped at her ear, which made her break her tough façade and giggle. Amelia lost track of how much time had passed. She had refilled her drink at least twice, and Aaron had drunk several more beers.

The party had thinned out too, and now it was mostly the principal cast left. Aaron traced shapes on her skin through the holes in her distressed jeans when Karen called everyone to attention.

“Let’s play a game!”

There was a general groan of discontent.

“Nope! Stop whining. We’re doing it. Hostess says so.”

Everyone joined Aaron and Amelia either on the floor or on the furniture that surrounded them.

“What are we playing?” Holly asked.

“Never Have I Ever?” Jeigh offered.

Amelia groaned. She hated that game. The rules were annoying, and it inevitably always turned to a topic Amelia would rather not discuss.

“Strip poker?” Aaron said softly so only Amelia could hear.

She looked up at him, and he was smirking at her.

“You know that wasn’t funny in 2009, and it’s still not funny now.”

Aaron just laughed at her and kissed her temple. Unfortunately, while the Tveits were chatting, it seemed that everyone else had settled on ‘Never Have I Ever.’

“I’m not drunk enough for this.” Amelia lamented.

She took a sizeable gulp of her drink, leaving about a quarter of it left in the cup.

The game started out innocently enough. For example, Amelia knew right away that she had a perfect first statement.

“Never have I ever willingly eaten a mushroom.”

Everyone except for Danny booed at her, and someone even threw an Oreo at her head. Amelia, however, didn’t care and just leaned away from Aaron’s hold to high-five Danny.

“Aaron?”

“Never have I ever been to China.”

Amelia hummed. That was a good one. Then it was Robyn’s turn.

“Never have I ever been to Africa.”

Amelia frowned.

“Dammit.” She cussed.

She drank and didn’t miss Robyn’s shit-eating grin out of the corner of her eye. Her drink was nearly gone. At some point, she was going to have no choice but to turn to the bottle of tequila.

“Never have I ever had a pregnancy scare.”

Amelia drank, and so did Aaron.

“Aaron.” Tam said, laughing as Aaron put down a finger.

“You’re telling me you guys have never had a pregnancy scare?” Aaron asked incredulously.

This was why Amelia hated this game. It was starting to drift into dangerous territory.

“I know how to use a condom, mate.”

Everyone let out a loud “Ooh!” except for Amelia. Aaron just shook his head but flexed his hand against her jeans.

Thankfully the next few questions were less controversial. But then it drifted back to sex. And unfortunately for Aaron and Amelia, they both had been drinking straight tequila for quite a few rounds now.

“Never have I ever restrained my partner during sex.”

“Oh, for fucks sake.” Amelia said.

All eyes were on her, and by default, Aaron, too, thanks to her outburst. All Amelia could do was hold her head high as she drank the tequila and put a finger down.

“Wow. Really?” Karen asked, clearly surprised.

“Next question.” Aaron said tersely from above Amelia.

He had drunk, as were the rules. He loved his friends, he did. But he hated divulging details about his sex life.

“Oh, c’mon, Aar.”

“Next question, please.” He said again.

“Alright, uhhh, never have I ever blindfolded my partner during sex.”

Amelia grinned as she finally had a reprieve from having to drink straight tequila. But what did give her pause was Aaron fidgeting against her back. She craned her head to look at him, but he wouldn’t meet her eye. She frowned slightly in thought, but then her attention was dragged back to the game.

“Never have I ever slept with a Moulin Rouge castmate.” Holly said with a grin on her face.

Amelia booed as she took her last drink and put down her last finger. Thankfully, the game and the party didn’t last much longer. She was going to vomit if she had to drink any more tequila.

Amelia loved the sound of her heels clicking against the sidewalk as she and Aaron walked to their favorite late-night spot near Karen’s apartment. They were both buzzed enough to have the drunk munchies but not intoxicated enough that they were incapacitated.

Aaron squeezed their conjoined hands as they turned the corner, and the restaurant came into view. Amelia was grateful that they were able to sit immediately. She was hungry.

It didn’t take long for their chicken tenders and cheese fries to show up, much to Amelia’s happiness. She stretched out her legs, so they rested on Aaron’s booth bench across from her. She also couldn’t help but smile when he took her free hand in his.

“Aar?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always. You know that.”

She poked a piece of chicken into the puddle of ketchup at the bottom of the basket. She was trying to figure out how to broach this topic. She decided just to go for it.

“Have you er considered sensory deprivation during sex?”

Aaron immediately froze and swallowed his fries hard.

“I knew it!” She exclaimed.

“Ames.”

“You could have said something, you know.”

“I just didn’t think you would be interested. It’s a bit more BDSM-y than we usually do.”

She rolled her eyes playfully.

“It’s not like our sex is particularly vanilla, Aar.”

“No, I know. It’s just-hmmpf.” He cut off, frowning softly.

She shook her head at him.

“Men. Would asking an actual question kill you?”

“This one just might.” He said.

She laughed, and he joined her. She shelved the conversation for the moment as they finished the last of their food.

Given the hour, it didn’t take long for them to return home. Amelia sighed with relief when she was finally able to take off her heels. She moaned even louder when, after they both sat on the couch, Aaron pulled her feet into his lap and massaged her sore arches.

“Aaron?”

“Hmm?”

She pulled her feet away from his hands and crawled into his lap.

“There are a lot of things that I would let you do to me. All you have to do is ask.”

His eyes darkened at her words, and he pulled her in for a kiss. When they broke apart, she had to resist the urge to tear his clothes off.

“So you’d be willing to try a blindfold sometime?”

“Blindfold. Handcuffs. Both. Yes, I’m game.”

“God, I love you, Amelia Tveit.”

“Love you too, Mr. Tveit. Nobody else has ever made me feel this way.”

“Glad I’m special then.”

She hummed appreciatively and leaned in to kiss him.

* * *

Amelia finished shoving her suitcase under her bed. She had just unpacked her new Boston apartment that she shared with her fellow Lady M, Holly James.

She placed her and Aaron’s wedding photo on her nightstand. It was a bit silly, seeing as he was living right across the street with Danny Burstein, but she loved the photo.

She tied her sneakers and then was stuffing her dance heels in her purse when her phone beeped.

**From The Husband ❤️: What are you up to?**

**To The Husband ❤️: Rehearsal is in 25 minutes. Grabbing coffee on the way.**

**From The Husband ❤️: Damn. Wanted to buy you breakfast**

**To The Husband ❤️: You just saw me last night**

**From The Husband ❤️: Yeah and it was the first time in months that I went to bed without you next to me. Did not like it**

**To The Husband ❤️: Me neither. But sorry about breakfast. Rain check?**

**From The Husband ❤️: Course babe. Actually I have an idea**

**To The Husband ❤️: Shoot**

**From The Husband ❤️: Can I come to rehearsal?**

**To The Husband ❤️: Our rehearsal?**

**From The Husband ❤️: Yeah**

**To The Husband ❤️: Sure I would think so. I mean you’re Christian Aar. I don’t think anyone is allowed to tell you no**

**From The Husband ❤️: You tell me no all the time**

**To The Husband ❤️: Yeah and I let you punish me for it**

Aaron didn’t respond right away, and Amelia knew she had caught him off guard.

**From The Husband ❤️: It’s too early for you to be a tease**

**To The Husband ❤️: 😝**

****

**From The Husband ❤️: I hate you**

****

**To The Husband ❤️: Love you too Aaron**

****

Aaron didn’t text her back, which was just as well because she had to hurry to grab a coffee and change into her exercise clothes. She finished pulling her hair into a tight bun and smoothed down her Dutch braids.

****

She left the bathroom and walked into the massive mirrored rehearsal space. She couldn’t help but give a little chuckle at her outfit. It wasn’t the skin-tight volleyball shorts or sports bra that gave her pause, but it was the fact that it was paired with heels.

****

Safe to say she missed Broadway.

****

“Alright, everyone. Let’s get to work.” Sonya said.

****

They ran the number over and over. Amelia was anchoring the number as she was the most experienced cast member of the Lady Ms.

****

They were taking a quick five-minute break when the door to the rehearsal room opened up.

****

“Hey, Aaron. How are you?” Sonya greeted.

****

“Good, Son. Thanks! Mind if I watch?”

****

“Sure, go ahead. Take a seat.”

****

He crossed the room and took a seat with his back against the mirrors. Amelia couldn’t help but notice that the others became a bit skittish with his presence.

****

“Don’t worry about him. He’s just here to bug me.”

****

Aaron laughed from behind her. She spun on her heel to face him.

****

“Oi! Zip it you. I’m working here.”

****

He held up his hands in surrender. But she didn’t miss his eyes trailing down her body. The heels, coupled with her incredibly tiny shorts, made her look like some sort of long-legged goddess. When his eyes finally returned to her face, she was glaring at him playfully.

****

“Alright. Break’s over. Let’s do this again.”

****

Amelia took her spot in the middle of the group and rolled her shoulders before posing her arms dramatically.

****

Sonya hit the playback, and while they weren’t expected to actually sing, Amelia couldn’t help but sing softly under her breath.

****

They immediately began to strut towards what would be downstage when they actually got to the theater. The beat dropped, and they all started to dance in unison.

****

Amelia dropped down, opened her legs, and slid her hands down her thighs as blocked. She couldn’t help but smirk at Aaron as he was right in front of her.

****

Speaking of Aaron, he was floored. He knew Amelia was a fantastic dancer, but he had never seen her in the developing stages of a show before, only the finished product.

****

Meanwhile, Sonya stopped the playback and went to tweak a few things before having them run it from the beginning. It was just the five of them, so they only worked on the first half of the opening number. The cancan would be tackled at a later date.

****

By the time they finished running the number for the final time, Amelia was dripping in sweat. Aaron, once Sonya paused the playback, clapped enthusiastically.

****

“You guys are just insane. That was amazing.”

****

The others thanked him for the compliment and then subtly turned away so the Tveits could have their moment.

****

“And you.”

****

He wrapped his arm around her exposed waist and yanked her into him. He didn’t seem to care that she was dripping wet.

****

“I’ve never seen you dance like that before.”

****

“You’ve seen me dance a million times, Aar.”

****

“Yeah, but I’ve only ever seen the finished product. I’ve never seen you so expertly implement those subtle adjustments like that.”

****

She shrugged, trying to fake nonchalance even though his words made her heart pound.

****

“It was really hot.” He said lowly.

****

“Yeah?”

****

“Mmhmm.”

****

His large hand that was splayed against her lower back drifted dangerously towards the waistband of her shorts.

****

He kissed her, and she struggled to keep the kiss appropriate for the company.

****

“Aar?”

****

“Yeah?”

****

“I’ll take you up on that raincheck for breakfast tomorrow morning.”

****

His eyes lit up.

****

“Does that mean I get to see you tonight?”

****

“So long as you agree to buy a girl breakfast the next day, I’d say your chances are pretty good.”

****

“Dinner, wine, breakfast. I’ll pay for it all.”

****

She laughed at his desperation and molded her sweaty body against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled one hand in his long hair.

****

She leaned in just close enough that he could feel her breath on his face.

****

“Wine and dine me, Tveit.”

****

* * *

****

“This is crazy. I can’t believe I’m leaving you.”

****

Amelia was too afraid to say anything. She was about two seconds from bursting into tears.

****

“Please tell me what you’re thinking.” Aaron pleaded.

****

His face was buried in her hair as she clung to him with her arms wrapped around his neck.

****

“It’s not like we knew you were going to be in rehearsal two days after our wedding. They’re being nice enough already just letting you come late.”

****

Aaron moved and braced her face in between his hands so he could look directly at her.

****

“Tell me not to go, and I won’t.”

****

She whimpered and felt the tears spring to her eyes.

****

“I’m trying to fucking hold it together, Aaron, and you are not helping right now.”

****

He pressed forward and kissed her deeply, his tongue sliding into her mouth. She gripped his back desperately, and when his kiss swallowed her choked cry, he tightened his hold on her face.

****

She still wasn’t used to the cold feeling of his new wedding band against her skin. It was a noticeable difference from the slight roughness of his hands.

****

After a moment, and against her own wishes, she tore away from him.

****

“Fuck.” She swore.

****

He watched as she wiped away tears quickly.

****

“Go. Get on the damn plane before I never let you leave New York again.”

****

He scooped her up in his arms again and hugged her tight. He felt his shirt dampen as she cried into his chest.

****

He pulled away from her one last time and stared at her now bloodshot eyes.

****

“I fucking hate crying.” She lamented as she sniffled.

****

He couldn’t resist chuckling at her slightly as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

****

“I love you, Amelia Tveit. I’ll see you in a week.”

****

She nodded.

****

“Please don’t cry.” He pleaded.

****

“Too late. I’m just gonna go home and eat a tub of ice cream and wallow.”

****

He shook his head at her and kissed her again. She reluctantly pulled away from him.

****

“Go. I’m serious.”

****

He squeezed her hand and kissed the new ring that sat nestled against her engagement ring. And despite his better judgment, he walked away.

****

By Monday, Aaron was equal parts miserable and excited. It was going to be a fun project, but he missed Amelia. When he proposed about a year and a half before their wedding, he never expected they would be separated quickly.

****

“Everyone. If I could have your attention, please.”

****

The cast quieted down as Thomas Kail spoke.

****

“Please welcome our leading man Mr. Aaron Tveit.”

****

Everyone clapped politely, and Aaron raised a hand in greeting.

****

“I apologize for arriving late, but I’m excited to be here with you all.”

****

Thomas Kail let out a laugh and shook his head at Aaron.

****

“Aaron’s too modest to say anything, but I will. For context, he was late because he got married this weekend.”

****

Aaron smiled sheepishly and subconsciously fiddled with his new wedding ring as everyone congratulated him.

****

“Thank you all. That’s very kind of you.”

****

And much to Aaron’s relief, the attention turned away from him, and rehearsal began. When they broke for lunch, Aaron was anxious to check his phone and text Amelia.

****

“Hey, man. Just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Carlos.”

****

“Hey, Carlos. Aaron. Nice to meet you.”

****

“You want to grab lunch?”

****

“Sure!”

****

They left quickly and chatted along the way as they picked up something to eat. They sat down, and Aaron was finally able to send a hasty test to Amelia.

****

**To Mrs. Tveit 🎶❤️: Greetings love. FT tonight?**

****

He knew it would probably be a while before she would respond as she was in rehearsal for her new concert series.

****

“Sorry.” Aaron said, apologizing to Carlos.

****

“No problem. Can I ask you a question?”

****

“Sure. Shoot.”

****

“Did you seriously just get married?”

****

Aaron let out a small laugh.

****

“On Saturday, actually.”

****

He held up his left hand, and the sunlight reflected off the metal of his ring.

****

“You’re kidding. That’s crazy.”

****

“Yeah, there was crying on both ends when I left.”

****

“I’m sure. I’ve been married for a while myself, so I know how hard it is when we’re not together. I couldn’t imagine leaving her two days after the wedding.”

****

“Yeah. Thankfully she’ll be here in less than a week now.”

****

“That’s great! Do you mind if I ask who you married?”

****

Aaron smiled to himself.

****

“Do you know Amelia Hillux?”

****

Carlos’ eyes grew in surprise.

****

“The Tony winner?”

****

“That’s her. She’s one amazing woman.”

****

“I’ll bet. Well, congrats, man.”

****

Several days later, Aaron was bouncing his leg anxiously. Amelia had texted him five minutes ago to say that she had arrived. He couldn’t wait to see her.

****

“Alright, everyone. Let’s take a fifteen-minute break.”

****

Now with the green light, Aaron took off. He burst out of the rehearsal space and onto the lot. He scanned the area quickly. She had to be here by now.

****

“Aaron?”

****

He whipped his head around at the sound of her voice. They made eye contact from across the lot, and his heart leapt into his throat.

****

Despite her high-heeled ankle boots, she sprinted towards him. She knew it was a bit cliché, but she didn’t care as she all but flung herself into his arms with a squeal. She locked her ankles against his back and buried her face into the crook of his neck.

****

“I missed you.” She said, her voice muffled.

****

Aaron craned his head back to look at her and pushed her now messy hair away from her face.

****

“Missed you too.” He said.

****

His hands remained on her face, and she couldn’t resist him anymore. She kissed him fiercely with her tongue sliding into his mouth and her hand scratching against his back. Aaron met her enthusiasm as he fought to dominate the kiss.

****

She grunted when he finally dropped her to her feet, but he didn’t break the kiss. He tangled a hand in her curled hair as they stumbled towards the wall of the building.

****

At a certain point, Aaron reluctantly pulled away from her. She looked a bit disheveled now, with her hair tangled and lipstick smeared. But her eyes were shining, and that made up for it.

****

He cradled her face in his hands again and made sure he had her undivided attention.

****

“I love you, Amelia.”

****

“I love you too.”

****

She grinned at him and tried to wipe the lipstick from his face. He laughed and tried to help.

****

“This always happens.” He said chuckling.

****

“I think we’re going to have to put a moratorium on lipstick this weekend. Otherwise, you’re gonna end up looking like a clown or something.” She said, teasing him.

****

He laughed and kissed her again. But they were interrupted as the warehouse door opened and the rest of the cast walked out. They broke apart, and both of them hastened to make themselves look more presentable.

****

“Oh, there you are, Aaron.”

****

“Yeah, sorry, guys. Uh, this is Amelia.”

****

“The famous Amelia!” Keke said.

****

Amelia blushed.

****

“Hi, everyone. Nice to meet you. I’m Amelia Hill-wait no.”

****

She laughed at her own mistake.

****

“Amelia Tveit. Sorry, still getting used to the new name.”

****

Aaron laughed and kissed her temple.

****

* * *

****

Amelia certainly was overdressed for this bar. It wasn’t a dive bar by any means, but she definitely looked out of place in her blue, black, and gold paisley bodycon dress. The jimmy choo adorning her feet didn’t help matters either.

****

“Want a drink?” Aaron asked.

****

His arm was wrapped firmly around her waist as he leaned in closer to her ear.

****

“Sure. Thanks, Aar.”

****

“Tequila?”

****

She beamed at him.

****

“You know me so well.”

****

He chuckled at her, pecked her lips quickly, and went to go fetch them alcohol. Amelia had met Aaron at the bar after her work event hence her posh outfit. Things in the last few months between them had improved dramatically. They had been consistently going to therapy together, which had done wonders for their relationship.

****

She was excited to celebrate two and a half years together in a few months. She was looking forward to their future.

****

“For you, my lady.”

****

“Why thank you, kind sir.” She said.

****

She dramatically took the drink from him, and he couldn’t help but snort into his beer.

****

“Don’t laugh at me. You started it.”

****

He just eyed her appreciatively.

****

“Have I told you that you look absolutely breathtaking tonight?”

****

“No, you have not.”

****

Aaron took one step towards her with his long gait and was immediately crowding her personal space. She didn’t mind it though, it just sent goosebumps rippling down her partially exposed arms.

****

“Well, you look good enough to eat.”

****

She shivered, and his smirk was so large that his dimples popped out. She swallowed hard before she spoke.

****

“Maybe later tonight.” She said, but the slight quiver in her voice undermined her forward statement.

****

Aaron’s smile widened at the wobble in her voice. To be frank, she didn’t think that was possible, but apparently, it was. He craned down and gave her a searing kiss. She felt her body melt against his.

****

They broke apart, and Aaron hummed, pleased. He trailed a finger down her cheek, followed the curve of her throat, and then tangled it in a strand of her curled hair.

****

“Let’s go find a table.”

****

And with that, he turned on his heel, leaving a speechless Amelia behind him. Eventually, she gathered herself enough to follow him to the high-top and barstools that he had claimed.

****

She could feel everyone’s eyes on them as they chatted about her work event and Aaron’s new guest spot on Law and Order: SVU. They weren’t far from Broadway, and somewhere nearby, she knew both of their faces were plastered on posters for their respective shows.

****

“Want another beer?” She asked.

****

“Sure. Why not?”

****

She stood up and passed him on her way to the bar. She felt a pair of eyes on her and turned around to see Aaron staring at her ass. She just shook her head at him in disdain as he winked.

****

She made her way to the bar and put another two drinks on Aaron’s tab. As she waited, she began to people watch. For a split second, she thought she saw a head that she recognized.

****

But that was hard to believe. New York City was massive, and the chances of her running into him here were slim.

****

Thankfully her thoughts were interrupted by their drinks’ arrival, which she quickly brought back to Aaron.

****

“Thanks, Ames. I’m gonna run to the bathroom before I start on this.”

****

He kissed her cheek and moved swiftly through the crowd. This left Amelia to her own devices, so she chose to sip her drink and go back to her people watching.

****

“Amelia Hillux?”

****

“Oh God.” She mumbled quietly to herself.

****

She knew that voice anywhere. She had heard whispers from old classmates that he was in the city, but the odds of running into him had been so far-fetched. She should have trusted herself when she thought she saw him at the bar.

****

“Wow! It is you!”

****

Amelia turned slightly to face her ex-boyfriend Cameron. It was enough to give him a better look at her outfit.

****

“Damn. You look hot.”

****

Amelia’s eyes narrowed at the comment. He lost any right to say that to her years ago now.

****

Is this seat taken?” He asked.

****

“Actually-“Amelia started.

****

But he didn’t even give her a chance to finish before he slipped into Aaron’s vacated seat. Amelia slid Aaron’s fresh beer in her direction before the jackass got any bright ideas and tried to drink it.

****

“So what have you been doing?”

****

Amelia actually did a double-take.

****

“You’re joking, right?”

****

“No. Really. What have you been up to since school?”

****

She shook her head. She didn’t remember him being this much of an idiot.

****

“I just won a Tony, actually.” She said.

****

She took a long pull from her drink and tried to will Aaron’s return from the bathroom into existence.

****

“Cool. What role did you play?”

****

“Oh, for fucks sake.” She swore to herself.

****

She looked off to the side and tried to see if she could spot Aaron’s head above the crowd. Nothing.

****

“What was that?”

****

“Nothing. I played the lead.”

****

“Wow.”

****

“Yeah.”

****

“Didn’t think you had that in you.”

****

Oh she was about three seconds from punching him.

****

“Well I’m pretty confident in my own abilities, thanks. Now would you mind getting up, please? Someone else was sitting there.”

****

Her ex’s eyes darkened at her sass.

****

“I don’t remember you being this rude.”

****

Amelia scoffed.

****

“Yeah, well, we broke up a long time ago.”

****

There wasn’t much of an expression on his face as Amelia stared him down, drinking her tequila and sprite casually.

****

“Ames?”

****

“Oh thank God.” She said, loud enough for Cameron to hear.

****

She pushed the beer towards Aaron, and he took a sip. She rolled her eyes as Cameron stuck his hand out to Aaron.

****

“Hi. I’m Cameron Bryant.”

****

Aaron’s eyes shrunk to slivers.

****

“Oh. You’re in my seat.”

****

Cameron was stubborn enough to essentially ignore Aaron.

****

“And you are?”

****

“Aaron Tveit, and you’re in my seat.”

****

He still didn’t budge, and Amelia was fed up.

****

“You’ve completely overstayed your welcome, Cameron. Time for you to go.”

****

“You know I don’t remember you being such a bitch.”

****

Aaron jerked next to her, but she placed her hand on his stomach to settle him. She could handle this.

****

“Yeah well, I don’t know what you were expecting when you rudely interrupted my evening even though I dumped your ass over 4 years ago.”

****

“I still don’t understand why you did that. We were so good together.”

****

Amelia nearly flipped the table over.

****

“You cheated on me! Twice!”

****

“Yeah, but-“

****

“No buts. We broke up a long time ago for a very good reason. Now it’s time for you to leave so my boyfriend can have his seat back.”

****

“Boyfriend? You’re dating this guy now?”

****

Amelia was starting to lose her temper.

****

“Yes boyfriend. And “this guy” has been in two separate Tony-nominated productions in the last two and a half years, which is more than we can say for you, seeing as not a single person in this bar, except for me, unfortunately, knows who you are. And more importantly, “this guy” loves me. Really, truly loves me. Unlike you who, frankly, I don’t think has ever loved anybody other than yourself.”

****

Cameron just gaped at her. Aaron, meanwhile, just stood there and smugly drank his beer. Cameron, for some bizarre reason, turned to Aaron for help.

****

“Don’t look at me. I don’t like you. Now can I please, for the love of all things good, have my seat back?”

****

Finally, Amelia’s ex stormed off, and Aaron settled back on to his barstool.

****

“Jeez. I thought he would never leave.”

****

Aaron just laughed and took her hand in his.

****

“Have I told you lately that I love you?” He sang teasingly.

****

She shoved his hand, and he laughed harder.

****

“You’re not funny.” She said.

****

Amelia took a massive gulp of her drink, parched from her long outburst. Aaron followed suit once he stopped laughing.

****

“What did you even see in that guy?”

****

“You know, I asked myself that a lot in the year or so after our break up. Then I met you, and I didn’t think about it anymore.”

****

“I’m sorry he did that to you.”

****

She shrugged and drank again. There wasn’t much left now in her glass.

****

“Good riddance.” She said.

****

“On a more positive note, I’m glad to hear that you know that I love you.”

****

She squeezed his hand, which was still tangled with hers on top of the table.

****

“Even with our recent issues, I just-in my heart of hearts I’ve never doubted that you love me, Aaron. And for the record, I love you too.”

****

He smiled and leaned across the table to kiss her.

****

“You almost ready to head out?” He asked.

****

She nodded and smirked at him.

****

“Race you?” She proffered.

****

He grinned back.

****

“Ready, set, go!”

****

They both knocked back their drinks. Amelia beat him but giggled when his beer dripped from the corner of his mouth.

****

“Dammit.” He cursed.

****

She reached out a hand and wiped the beer from his face. He went and closed the tab as she buttoned her coat over her dress.

****

“All set.”

****

He held out his arm, and she tucked her arm through it, burrowing herself into his side. He walked them to the corner and hailed a cab.

****

“I really liked your outfit tonight.” He said.

****

“You mentioned that earlier.”

****

“Yeah, and I meant it. You look delectable.”

****

She worried her bottom lip in between her teeth at the look on his face. He braced her chin in between his hand and pulled her lip back with his thumb causing her body to clench.

****

“Take me home, Tveit.”

****

“Gladly gorgeous.”

****

* * *

****

“I have to go back to rehearsal. Come with me?”

****

“Am I allowed to?”

****

“I’m sure they won’t care so long as you don’t disrupt anything.”

****

“I’ll be the consummate professional.” She said.

****

She crossed an ‘X’ over her heart, and Aaron just pecked her lips. He took her hand in his and led her through the winding hallways and back into the rehearsal room.

****

“Hey, man. This is Amelia. Ames, this is our director Thomas Kail.”

****

“Pleasure to meet you.” Amelia said and offered her hand.

****

“Likewise! It’s an honor to meet the newly christened Mrs. Tveit.”

****

Amelia blushed but smiled in thanks.

****

“Do you mind if she watches?”

****

“Of course, she can watch.”

****

“Thanks! C’mon.” He said.

****

Aaron pulled her excitedly behind him, making her giggle. He went back to his seat and had her sit in it, with his hands on her shoulders.

****

“Be right back.”

****

And he scampered away. She busied herself by flipping through his sheet music. It was an interesting mix of songs from the movie and the show. There was a loud clanging noise behind her, which made her jump.

****

She turned to see Aaron carrying another chair in his arms, which he unceremoniously placed down next to her with a plop. She slid over to the new seat, which allowed him to take his back.

****

“Alright, everyone. If you could take a seat, please, if you haven’t already, we’ll get started.”

****

Aaron threw his arm around Amelia’s shoulders and pulled her closer to him so that she could read along as he sang.

****

They restarted rehearsal, and Amelia tried her hardest to just sit there and observe. The glitch was that she had done Grease in high school, and apparently, her subconscious still remembered the words. So every so often, she would start singing unknowingly. This led to Aaron sliding his hand up from around her shoulders to cover her mouth.

****

By the third time it happened, Aaron just shook his head, and she smiled sheepishly at him. When they finally broke for the day, Amelia immediately started to grovel.

****

“What am I going to do with you, Mrs. Tveit?”

****

“I’m sorry.” She whined.

****

He wrapped his arms around her waist and under her ivory sweater. They were tucked into the corner away from everyone else.

****

“I guess I remember more of the lyrics than I thought.”

****

“Clearly.”

****

She pulled his snapback off his head and ran her hand through his newly freed hair.

****

“I really want to kiss you right now.” She murmured.

****

She started to lean in, and it took all his willpower to put a finger on her lips to stop her.

****

“Can you keep it together until we get to my rental?”

****

She sighed heavily.

****

“I suppose so.”

****

She did manage to keep herself together, but it was no easy feat. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. It was quite funny. Their sex life had always been active, but she hadn’t felt this high strung in a long time. She put it down to the separation so soon after their nuptials.

****

When they finally returned to his rental apartment, they completely skipped the foreplay. They were desperate for each other, but they also had plans to go out with the cast later that evening.

****

“What are you going to wear tonight?” He asked.

****

She shifted her legs so that she avoided his softening member.

****

“I can’t believe you just asked that question.”

****

“I’m just curious.”

****

“No, you’re not. You want to know if I’m going to yell at you for wearing a t-shirt tonight.”

****

“Yeah, alright, you got me.”

****

He kissed her deeply, pulling her by the shoulder to drag her back on top of him.

****

“Aar.”

****

He let out a grunt against her lips, hoping she would let him continue to kiss her. She reluctantly disentangled herself from him.

****

“We don’t have time for a second round, Love.”

****

He grumbled angrily as she extracted herself from his arms and left the bed.

****

“I’m going to go shower, and no, you can’t come.”

****

Aaron just groaned and flopped down, spread-eagle onto the bed. An hour and a half later, Aaron and Amelia were at Vanessa Hudgens’ place pre-gaming before they went out. Amelia had managed to wrangle Aaron into a white button down and jeans, which fit well with her black strappy-back mini dress.

****

“So, Amelia. What are you up to now?” Keke asked.

****

Amelia sat next to Aaron on one of the couches.

****

“Well, I was in a play for a while, but I’ve taken a bit of a break what with the wedding and everything. I’m planning a few concerts, though, in the meantime. I’ll tackle some new projects when we get back from our honeymoon.”

****

“Where are you going?”

****

It was tough to keep her concentration as Aaron traced shapes into her exposed back with his fingertips.

****

“South Africa.”

****

“Cool!”

****

“Yeah, we wanted to do something fun and different.” Aaron said.

****

He was still trailing his fingers up and down her back. He had to resist the urge to chuckle darkly at her every time he felt her body tense under his touch.

****

“So, Amelia?”

****

There was a clear edge to Vanessa’s voice when she called for Amelia’s attention.

****

“Yeah?”

****

“You won a Tony, right?”

****

The aggressive tone was hard to ignore. Amelia surreptitiously looked at Aaron, who gave a small shrug.

****

“I did for Anything Goes in 2011, yes.”

****

“Would you sing for us?”

****

Amelia’s brow furrowed. This certainly seemed like a challenge. Was she jealous, Amelia wondered.

****

“Oh, you guys don’t want to listen to me.”

****

“Uh, yes, we fucking do.” Julianne Hough said.

****

That comment seemed much more excited, which calmed Amelia somewhat.

****

“It’s not every day we get to listen to a Broadway star.” Carlos said.

****

Aaron held out his arms in offense.

****

“What the hell, man!”

****

“You don’t count. She’s a guest, which makes her special.”

****

She turned to Aaron and looked smugly at him.

****

“Hear that? I’m special, and you aren’t.”

****

“Yeah, yeah.” He said.

****

He swooped down to kiss her, which wiped the smug look from her face.

****

“Tveit! Stop kissing the talent. We want a song.” Carlos yelled jokingly.

****

They reluctantly pulled apart, and Amelia could breathe again.

****

“Sing for us, Amelia.” Vanessa said.

****

Amelia’s eyebrow twitched. She was definitely being challenged. The others, though, seemed none the wiser.

****

“Sing, Sing, Sing, Sing.” Julianne chanted.

****

Everyone joined in, and Amelia looked at Aaron for help.

****

“You’ll be fine.” He said softly.

****

“Alright. I’ll sing.”

****

The assembled crowd cheered, and Aaron, ever the gentleman, helped her up from the couch.

****

“What would you like to hear?”

****

“No show tunes.” Vanessa said.

****

Oh, this was so a challenge. Well, two could play at that game.

****

“Ok, that’s not a problem. Hmmm.”

****

She thought for a second and went through the running mental list of songs she was considering for her concert series.

****

“Alright, I got it.”

****

“Do you need music?” Vanessa asked.

****

“Nah. I’m good.”

****

She took a deep breath with closed eyes and then opened them again.

****

“Hello, it’s me. I was wondering if after all these years you’d like to meet.”

****

Aaron’s castmates began to chatter excitedly when they realized what she was singing.

****

“To go over. Everything.”

****

Amelia made sure to perform for the crowd, her natural tendency taking over as she sang.

****

“They say that time’s supposed to heal ya. But I ain’t done much healing. Hello.”

****

She held the second hello for a second, her vocal talent becoming more apparent the longer the song went on.

****

“Can you hear me? I’m in California dreaming about who we used to be.”

****

She looked directly at Aaron as she sang the next few lines. For some reason, the following two lines reminded her of their early relationship.

****

“When we were younger and free. I’ve forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet.”

****

She dragged her eyes away from him and scanned the assembled group, deliberately avoiding Vanessa for the moment.

****

“There’s such a difference between us. And a million miles.”

****

She waited for a beat before belting out the next line with all that she had.

****

“Hello from the other side! I must’ve called a thousand times.”

****

Everyone went crazy as she really went for it and held nothing back.

****

“To tell you I’m sorry for everything that I’ve done. But when I call, you never seem to be home.”

****

She looked directly at Vanessa for the next line. She didn’t understand why she was being so weird, but Amelia was damn well going to put her in her place.

****

“Hello from the outside!”

****

She placed her hand on her abdomen, playing up the theatricality of it all.

****

“At least, I can say that I’ve tried. To tell you I’m sorry for breaking your heart.”

****

She closed her eyes as she sang the last line.

****

“But it don’t matter, it clearly doesn’t tear you apart anymore.”

****

She held the final note and then stopped singing. She opened her eyes to see a grinning Aaron.

****

She gave the Grease Live cast a little curtesy, mindful of the short hem on her dress. They went crazy as they cheered and applauded. Amelia, however, looked directly at Vanessa Hudgens.

****

Amelia would never be directly rude in someone else’s home. But she wasn’t above raising a smug eyebrow in Vanessa’s direction. The other woman, wisely, had the wherewithal to look slightly embarrassed.

****

Thankfully, they decide to head to the club a few minutes after Amelia sang. She just hoped it would be enough to diffuse whatever weirdness was going on with Vanessa. It also was nice to ride in a car with Aaron alone.

****

“What the hell was Vanessa’s deal?”

****

“I honestly have no clue. It was bizarre. She’s always been perfectly nice to me.”

****

“Maybe she has a crush on you.”

****

“Maybe.”

****

He leaned in close to her, and her eyes immediately went to his lips.

****

“But I’m a happily married man.”

****

She curled a hand around his neck as her eyes darted back up to his bright blue orbs.

****

“And don’t you forget it.”

****

Their lips were now less than a millimeter apart.

****

“Never.”

****

* * *

****

Amelia took a sip of her water as she took a breather before the next song. She was in the middle of one of her concerts back in New York while Aaron finished his rehearsal for Grease Live.

****

“So, as you all know, I recently got married.”

****

The crowd cheered.

****

“Yes, it’s all very exciting. But the Husband went and got himself cast as Danny Zuko and has left me to my own devices.”

****

She laughed.

****

“No, I’m very excited for him, but I’m not going to lie. I did not imagine spending the first several weeks of my marriage all alone. So I had planned to sing this song to express how I feel about the situation as an artist does.”

****

The crowd clapped politely as she paused.

****

“Yes, thanks for the support. See, the problem is while I kinda figured that my parents would be here, which is embarrassing enough, I didn’t exactly count on my new in-laws showing up.”

****

The crowd laughed. She turned toward the VIP section where, even though she couldn’t see because of the stage lights, she knew Aaron’s parents sat with her parents.

****

“I love you guys. I really do, and I’m so happy that you’re here. But uh, sorry that I’m about to sing a song about sex that is 100% directed at your son.”

****

The crowd lost it, and Amelia rubbed her face in embarrassment.

****

“Someone just start the music.” She said blushing.

****

She gripped the mic, which was set into the stand, and took a deep breath.

****

“My body is your party, baby. Nobody’s invited but you, baby.”

****

She closed her eyes and tried to keep the memories and the vivid flashbacks at bay.

****

“I can do it slow now, tell me what you want. Baby, put your phone down, you should turn it off. Cause tonight is going down. Tell your boys it’s going down. We in the zone now, don’t stop.”

****

Amelia pulled the mic off the stand now and began to act out the lyrics as she sang. She pointed to the crowd, gesturing to an invisible Aaron.

****

“You can keep your hands on me, touch me right there.”

****

She slid her own hand down her side and across her hips.

****

“Rock my body. I can’t keep my hands off you. Your body is my party.”

****

She swung her hips seductively as the next line came.

****

“I’m doing this little dance for you. You got me so excited. Now it’s just me on you. Your body’s my party, let’s get it started.”

****

She walked towards the crowd as she sang.

****

“Boy, you should know that your love is always on my mind. I’m not gonna fight it, I want it all the time. Boy, you should know that your love is always on my mind.”

****

She squeezed her eyes shut as the vivid memories broke into her consciousness.

****

“I can’t deny it, I want you. I want you. I can’t lie. I won’t lie. It’s amazing. My faces, the places you’re taking me.”

****

She looked out into the crowd, and she noticed the audience swaying to the beat.

****

“Baby, take your time now, there’s no need to rush. We can go another round, if that’s what you want.”

****

She felt her mind drift to their wedding night. He had taken it so slowly that it had been almost painful. God, she missed him.

****

“Cause tonight is going down, yeah you know it’s going down. We in the zone now, don’t stop.”

****

There was a bit of commotion in the crowd. But she didn’t notice because she was, ironically, in the zone as she sang.

****

“You can keep your hands on me, touch me right there, rock my body. I can’t keep my hands off you, your body is my party.”

****

She slithered down to the floor, opening her legs as she slid her hands down jean-clad thighs.

****

“I’m doing this little dance for you. You got me so excited. Now it’s just me on you.”

****

She looked down at the crowd as she was going to gesture in their direction and nearly fell over.

****

There was a smirking Aaron, flanked by a security guard, right in the mosh pit at the front of the crowd. It took all of her training just to keep singing.

****

“Your body’s my party. Let’s get it started.”

****

He hoisted himself up onto the stage. When the stage lights hit his face, the audience suddenly realized what was happening.

****

“Boy, you should know that your love is always on my mind.” She sang, her flustered tone coming through as she sang.

****

He straightened up and began to stalk towards her as she neared the end of the song.

****

“I’m not gonna fight it. I want it all the time.”

****

He finally was close enough for her to touch him. She slid a hand across his jaw, and he pressed a kiss to her palm.

****

“Boy, you should know that your love is always on my mind. I can’t deny it, I want you. I want you.”

****

He took another step towards her and crowded her body with his.

****

“The things I wanna do to you.”

****

She curled a hand into his shirt and bent her body into his.

****

“My body’s calling you. I’m having so much fun with you. Now it’s just me on you. Your body’s my party. Let’s get it started.”

****

She finally stopped singing and felt paralyzed by his presence. He kissed her chastely, which was not enough to satisfy her humming body. She felt like she was going to explode.

****

“Surprise!” He said.

****

The crowd laughed as Amelia hit him. She then threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

****

“Missed you.” She whispered.

****

“I’d say so by your choice of song.”

****

“Yeah, well. I missed you a lot.”

****

He pulled away as they were still on stage and kissed her forehead.

****

“Uh, Aaron Tveit, everyone!”

****

He bowed toward the crowd as she drank from her water bottle.

****

“By the way, your parents are here.” She said.

****

“You sang that song with my parents here?!”

****

The crowd laughed.

****

“I didn’t know they were coming.” She shrugged helplessly.

****

“Oh well, Hi, Mom and Dad. Merry almost Christmas.”

****

He waved to the dark, and Amelia rolled her eyes at him.

****

“Wait, aren’t your parents here too?”

****

“Yeah.”

****

“Ignoring the fact that you sang this with them in attendance too, I’d better go stop them.”

****

Amelia frowned.

****

“Stop them from what?”

****

“Talking about grandbabies.”

****

Amelia blanched.

****

“Nope. Hard pass. I am NOT pregnant. I would like to be married for more than five seconds before that happens.”

****

The crowd laughed again.

****

“I’m sorry y’all that this number has gone completely sideways.”

****

“You can blame me.”

****

She just tried to shove him, but instead, he yanked her arm and pulled her in, kissing her hard. They broke apart with a pop.

****

“It’s good to be home New York! Enjoy the rest of the show.”

****

Amelia shook her head as Aaron went to go find their parents.

****

“Right now that he’s gone, let’s get back to the show, shall we?”

****

* * *

****

“Let’s play a game. I’m bored.”

****

“Ok. What kind of game?”

****

“Truth or Dare?”

****

She looked at him like he was crazy.

****

“Aaron. What are you, 15?”

****

He handed her a fresh glass of wine, which she took.

****

“No. I’m 36, but I’m bored. C’mon babe. What else are we gonna do? It’s not like we can go anywhere.”

****

He was right. Being in quarantine meant they could barely leave the city.

****

“You do realize that we’re married, right? There’s basically nothing that you don’t know about me.”

****

“I know, but I’m just curious about random shit.”

****

“Like what?”

****

“I’m not gonna ask unless we play.” 

****

“Fine, but I’m downloading an app, so at least we get some interesting dares.”

****

“Fair enough.”

****

He took a sip of his drink as she messed with her phone. They played rock, paper, scissors to see who would go first. Much to Amelia’s dismay, Aaron won.

****

“Alright. Truth or Dare?”

****

Amelia drank her wine. She was too afraid to take a dare right away.

****

“Truth.”

****

“Coward.”

****

She just shrugged.

****

“Ok. Hmmm. What were you thinking the first time we slept together?”

****

Amelia scrunched her face in confusion.

****

“What do you mean? Like whether or not I liked it? I’d like to think you know the answer to that by now.”

****

“No. What was your thought process about deciding to sleep with me. You can correct me if I’m wrong, but you hadn’t slept with anyone before the fifth date before me. What happened?”

****

Amelia gave a short laugh into her wine, swallowing another mouthful.

****

“Oh. Ha. Well, I just remember thinking you were really, really hot.”

****

Aaron laughed.

****

“No, I’m serious. To be honest, I started “the rule” because I slept with a guy once right out of the gate early in our relationship, and he ended up being a real jerk. So I tried to pace myself after that. But then you came along, and we just clicked on a level that I never had before in a relationship. And well, you were there.”

****

“Yes, I was.” He said, trying not to laugh at her.

****

“I’ve never been able to explain it. What it is between us. But I don’t need to tell you about the insane sexual tension that has basically been there from the day we met. How have we never discussed this before?”

****

He shrugged.

****

“Did you ever regret it?”

****

She sent a smug look in his direction.

****

“That’s a second question. It’s my turn now. Truth or Dare?”

****

“Fair’s fair. Truth.”

****

“When did you realize you were in love with me?”

****

Aaron huffed out a laugh and took a long sip of his own glass of wine.

****

“A month in.”

****

Amelia nearly did a spit take.

****

“What?”

****

“Yeah. Remember that one time, when we were eating chocolate cake on the floor of your apartment?”

****

“You refused to use a fork.”

****

She held her wine out at him accusingly.

****

“Yeah, that night.”

****

“Then?”

****

“Yup.”

****

“Wow.”

****

Aaron blushed.

****

“Alright enough about me. Your turn. Truth or Dare?”

****

She considered taking a dare, but she figured it would be better to do one more truth.

****

“Truth.”

****

“How many kids do you want?”

****

She started slightly at his forward question. They had talked about kids, but they had never sat and had this conversation. Ever since Aaron had recovered from his bout of coronavirus, they had been a bit careless with protection. Amelia was taking the pill less and less. And more often than was probably wise, they forgot to use a condom.

****

“Probably three. At least two.”

****

He nodded. She wondered if he wanted to start actually trying. She wanted to ask, but she knew he wouldn’t let her pose her question unless it was within the confines of the game.

****

She drank again.

****

“Truth or Dare.”

****

“Dare.”

****

“Feeling brave, Tveit?”

****

“I’m no coward.” He said, sending a pointed dig at her.

****

She flipped him off and clicked into the app to generate a dare.

****

“I’m not paying 7 dollars for Dirty plus, so we’ll have to settle for Dirty.”

****

“Cheapskate.”

****

“Hey, you married me, man.”

****

She burst out laughing.

****

“Oh God. What?”

****

“Send a text message to an old fling declaring that ‘it was you, not me.”

****

Aaron groaned.

****

“I don’t even think I have Jacqui’s number anymore.”

****

“Well, that’s reassuring, but lemme see.”

****

She crawled into his lap and grabbed his phone, scrolling through the contacts. She pouted.

****

“Dammit. That would have been funny.”

****

“See, this is what happens when you’ve been with the same woman since 2009.”

****

“Stop kissing ass. Let me try another one.”

****

She went through the app again.

****

“Well, this won’t work. Propose to the person two steps to your left.”

****

Aaron laughed and wrapped his arms around her neck.

****

“Already did that a while ago.”

****

He kissed her sweetly, and she tried not to lose her concentration.

****

“Ok, one more, and then if it doesn’t work, I give up.”

****

She clicked once more.

****

“Finally. Take off an item of clothing and run around the garden.”

****

Aaron laughed.

****

“Well, we don’t have a garden, but will you accept a lap around the apartment?”

****

“Sure.”

****

Aaron lifted her out of his lap and pulled his shirt over his head. The motion ruffled his long ‘Christian’ hair, and it made her mouth water. She watched him as he lapped their apartment, causing her to giggle.

****

“Your turn. Truth or Dare?”

****

She downed what was left of her wine.

****

“As you said earlier, Fair’s fair. Dare.”

****

Aaron grabbed her phone and scrambled for a Dare.

****

“Ooh, I like this one. Take off your clothes and put them back on inside out. It says you can do this in another room if you’re shy, but I’m just not going to let that happen.”

****

She glared at him, and he just smiled teasingly at her.

****

“Underwear too.”

****

“You just want to see my pussy.”

****

Aaron didn’t say anything in response. He just raised an eyebrow at her as he drank his wine. She sighed and started stripping from the top down.

****

She turned her shirt inside out and laid it on the couch. She then unhooked her bra and had second thoughts as she realized it would be quite painful to wear that inside out. So instead, she chucked it toward their bedroom and slipped her shirt back over her head.

****

She unbuttoned her jeans, peeled them off, and turned them inside out too. But when she hooked her thumbs around the waistband of her purple panties, she made a point to stare at him. She slowly pulled them down, making sure he was watching her.

****

She straightened up as she turned that inside out too. When she did so, he was perfectly eye level with her bare lower half. She put them back on, and Aaron had to bite back a groan. By the time she was clothed again and had sat back down, her erect nipples were clear through her t-shirt.

****

“More wine?” He asked, eager to flee to the kitchen to collect himself.

****

“Sure. Thanks.”

****

It didn’t take long for them to finish the bottle.

****

“Truth or Dare?” She asked.

****

“Truth.”

****

“When do you want to start trying for a baby?”

****

His eyes widened.

****

“Tell the truth, or you’re going to have to finish your drink.” She said, teasing him.

****

“When we have an idea about Moulin Rouge coming back. I want us both to be able to leave the show on a good note. Not this madness. But once we get word, I’d be happy to start trying.”

****

It was her turn to widen her eyes in surprise.

****

“That soon?”

****

“I’m not getting any younger. Plus, I’m ready to be a Dad or as ready as any time a first-time Dad can be.”

****

“Ok.”

****

“Ok? Really?”

****

“Yeah. I’m a little excited.”

****

“A little?”

****

“Ok, a lot. I really want your babies, Tveit.”

****

He sent a warm look her way. He crawled across the floor to kiss her.

****

“Good. Last round?” He asked.

****

“We’re out of wine, so yes.”

****

“Alright. Truth or Dare?”

****

“What the hell. Dare. Why not?”

****

Aaron laughed at her reaction and tapped her phone. He clicked ‘Dare,’ and Amelia didn’t miss the way his eyes darkened.

****

“What?”

****

He slid her phone across the floor to her. She swallowed hard when she read what it said. She looked right at him as she slowly started to crawl across the floor towards him. His eyes kept drifting between her face and her exposed chest as her t-shirt drooped down.

****

She pulled herself up into his lap and straddled his body.

****

“You’ve been a very naughty boy, Aaron Tveit.”

****

She tangled her hand in his hair and pulled it so that his throat was exposed. She latched her lips to his pulse point, and he whined.

****

She left his throat, and their lips met feverishly. She pulled against his hair again, and he bit her lip.

****

“Ow! Ok fuck the Dare. Now you definitely deserve a spanking.”

****

Aaron just growled at her and shoved their tangled bodies down to their carpet. This left her flat on her back as he hungrily attacked her mouth.

****

* * *

****

**New Email from Aaron Tveit**

****

Her phone pinged as she walked into her and Aaron’s shared apartment in Astoria. She peeled off her heels and dropped them unceremoniously next to the front door.

****

She wandered to their fridge and poured herself a glass of white wine. She plopped down on the couch and sighed heavily. It had been an exhausting day of rehearsals for her second concert-show followed by what felt like an endless number of business meetings.

****

She and Aaron had been able to spend their first Christmas together as a married couple all alone. They had considered visiting either his parents or hers, but with their more or less two-month separation due to his rehearsal schedule, they decided against it. They made up for it at New Years’ anyway when Amelia’s parents joined them in Middletown at Aaron’s parents’ home.

****

She missed him. It was funny they had gone through long periods where they didn’t see each other because one of them was working for years. They had, of course, been together for seven years at this point. But it was worst this time around. She blamed it on their new relationship status. At least once this was all over, they were finally going to go on their honeymoon. It would be just the two of them for quite a while, and she was excited about it.

****

She extracted her phone from her purse, and that was when she finally saw Aaron’s email.

****

**LOOK!!!!**

****

That was all he had put in the subject line. He hadn’t even bothered putting anything in the body of the email. He had just attached several photos, which she immediately opened up.

****

Enclosed were a whole host of pictures of Aaron in costume for the show. Some were clearly promotional shots, but others just seemed to be test photos.

****

His muscular arms were clearly on display in most of the costumes. It was a little trivial, but his arms had always been her favorite. A good flex of his biceps was enough to set her off.

****

The longer she flipped through the photos, the more she felt her libido skyrocket. She was so incredibly frustrated that by the time she reached the last picture (him in his t-birds jacket), she was ready to throw her phone.

****

She downed what was left of her wine, dragged herself off the couch, and walked to the bathroom. She wiped the makeup off her face and was working down the zipper of her dress when her phone started to ring.

****

She groaned when she saw his face on the screen. Her body was still clenching uncomfortably with unsatiated need.

****

“Hello?” She asked, answering the phone.

****

Aaron’s dimpled smile and bright blue eyes were suddenly in front of her. She sat on the bed, stretching her legs out as her half unzipped dress gapped at the back.

****

“Hi baby! Did you see the photos?” He asked excitedly.

****

“I did. You looked great, Aar.” She said, honestly.

****

Aaron frowned lightly.

****

“What’s wrong?”

****

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

****

“That is the most overused answer to that question.”

****

“I’m fine, really. You looked amazing in those photos, Aaron. Honest.”

****

“Amelia.”

****

She sighed. Apparently, he wasn’t going to let this go.

****

“I just loved those photos a bit too much if you catch my drift.”

****

Aaron’s eyes lit up in understanding.

****

“Oh.”

****

“Please don’t tease me. I’m not in the mood.” She said with a bit of venom in her tone.

****

Aaron’s facial expression shifted at her tone.

****

“I won’t. I’m sorry.”

****

“I mean, you’re not, but whatever.”

****

“Don’t get mad at me. I am sorry.”

****

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

****

“I just miss you. I don’t know what it is this time, but this whole separation, even with seeing you at Christmas, has been really hard.”

****

Aaron scrubbed his face with his hand.

****

“I don’t want you to think it’s been easy for me either. I mean, yeah, I’m excited about the show, but then I try to sleep at night, and you’re just not there.”

****

“I just don’t like feeling this needy.”

****

“You’re not needy, baby. I miss you too. You’re just…” He stopped speaking as he tried to think of the right word.

****

“Horny?”

****

He burst out laughing, and she let out a little giggle herself.

****

“Sure. That works.”

****

The look on Aaron’s face shifted to one of contemplation.

****

“What are you thinking?” She asked.

****

“Have you considered er-“

****

“What?”

****

“Taking care of yourself?”

****

Amelia wrinkled her nose.

****

“You mean, masturbating?”

****

He wasn’t embarrassed to have this conversation with his own wife by any means. But it was a teensy bit weird.

****

“Yeah.” He said.

****

He shifted as the idea alone sent blood rushing south.

****

“I don’t uh pleasure myself.”

****

Aaron did a double-take.

****

“Wait hold on. How have you never told me this? What on earth do you mean you don’t do it?”

****

“I’ve never done it. It just kinda grosses me out.”

****

“Wait, wait, wait. I’m just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that we’ve been together for seven years, and I didn’t know any of this.”

****

“I didn’t think it mattered.”

****

“So what have you been doing all these years when we were separated because of work?”

****

“Uh suffered, I guess. I think it’s just easier for guys than it is for girls.”

****

“Are you calling me a wanker?” He said, clearly teasing.

****

Yeah, she really missed him.

****

“I mean if the shoe fits.” She said, shrugging.

****

He shook his head at her.

****

“What am I going to do with you, Mrs. Tveit?”

****

“Get on a plane and come home so you can fuck me?”

****

He smiled at her lewdly.

****

“Would if I could, my love. Do you want me to help?”

****

“You want to coach me through it?”

****

“I’m more than happy to, baby. I just don’t want you to be upset or frustrated anymore.”

****

“I-ok, yeah.”

****

“Ok. It would help if you took your dress off.”

****

He had a shit-eating grin on his face as he spoke. She just flipped him off and then put him down so she could finally undo the zipper on the back of her dress.

****

* * *

****

Aaron walked into the crowded room and was immediately bombarded by the cacophony of voices. It seemed like the entire cast was crammed into the room as the costuming team flittered around them all.

****

They were all being fitted en masse for their costumes. Aaron had seen Catherine’s sketches and was incredibly excited to see what they had dreamed up for him.

****

He was immediately swarmed the second they saw him and was dragged away from the door. After being poked and prodded for at least 15 minutes, he was able to breathe as the team finally left him alone.

****

“Alright, ladies! Let’s see!”

****

Aaron turned his head at the sound of the voice, and his jaw dropped. There was Amelia, and the other Lady Ms, in costume.

****

Her outfit left little to the imagination. It was mostly black with bright red accents. And clearly, the mix of detailed lace and black straps was meant to tie together the other four Lady M costumes. She really was the anchor of the group.

****

It was the garter belt and stockings, though, that got him. That’s what always made his blood rush south—that and thongs.

****

But if Aaron was honest with himself, he didn’t know how to feel about Amelia wearing what was effectively lingerie for everyone to see. They both always bent over backward for their craft. It was how they were wired, and frankly, it was why they clicked.

****

Nevertheless, Aaron felt an overwhelming feeling of possessiveness crawling in his chest at the sight of her. Before this, nobody but he had seen her in lingerie for nearly a decade.

****

Tam, who Aaron hadn’t even realized was in the room, catcalled jokingly. Aaron could see the blush blooming across Amelia’s cheeks.

****

Amelia, meanwhile, shuffled awkwardly. She felt incredibly exposed and shifted her gaze nervously. That was when her eyes found Aaron’s. He looked…angry? No, that wasn’t quite right. She couldn’t place the look on his face.

****

But she was forced to turn away from him when the costuming staff started to stick her with pins again, causing her to wince.

****

An hour later, she had never been more grateful to be in a pair of sweatpants. She was learning quickly that being constricted in a corset and garter belt for hours was not pleasant. It occurred to her that that was what her life would soon be like daily. She winced at the thought.

****

“Ames!”

****

Amelia startled as Aaron suddenly appeared from the doorway of his new dressing room.

****

“Oh, my God! You scared me!”

****

“Sorry. Can you talk?”

****

“Course Aar.”

****

She entered the sparsely decorated room, closing the door behind her. They were all still settling into their new theatrical home in Boston, so she wasn’t surprised to see that the dressing room was mostly empty, baring a large couch and a healthy collection of snapbacks already piled in the corner. It did warm her heart, though, to see the photo they had used for this year’s Christmas card framed and clearly on display on the counter.

****

“Big dressing room.” She commented teasingly.

****

Aaron shrugged.

****

“You say that as though you won’t be in here about 75 percent of the time.”

****

“Only if you want me to be. We’ve never actually worked together before. You might like your space.”

****

He stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

****

“I do when it comes to other people but never from you.”

****

She smiled softly at him.

****

“You wanted to talk?”

****

Aaron’s facial expression shifted, and he was clearly thinking of what to say.

****

“It’s just me.” She said, curling a hand in his ridiculously long hair.

****

“I know. I just don’t know how to say this without sounding like an asshole.”

****

She realized what he was hinting at.

****

“I saw your face. In the costuming department. You looked…mad.”

****

“I wasn’t mad. I just-“

****

The expression from earlier crossed his face again and something stirred inside Amelia.

****

“What?” She asked softly.

****

“I felt incredibly possessive. Like it was crawling out of my chest. I haven’t felt that way in a long time.”

****

“Oh.” She said meekly.

****

“I don’t want anybody but me seeing you dressed like that.”

****

“I mean, at least the teddy is lined.” She proffered.

****

He was clearly not amused. She pursed her lips at the look on his face as her heart pounded.

****

He stared at her with blazing eyes, and she just stared back. Amelia could hear her own shallow breathing. In a moment, the tension broke as Aaron flung himself at her.

****

She whined as he kissed her brusquely. He steered them aggressively toward the couch as they continued to kiss. He shoved her down, and the sudden movement caused the sofa to slam against the wall.

****

Aaron clambered on top of her and latched his mouth to the sensitive spot on her throat. The feeling caused a loud moan to rip through her.

****

“People are gonna hear us.”

****

“Good.” He said venomously.

****

Thanks to him, her clothes were flying as he tossed them haphazardly out of his way. She only had her sweatpants and underwear on now as he kissed his way down her stomach. She lifted her hips at his insistence, and now her pants were gone too.

****

“You’re mine. You hear me?” He said.

****

His mouth was inches from where she wanted it, and she was squirming beneath him.

****

“I’m yours. Always.”

****

He smiled devilishly for a second as he peeled off her panties. He stood up, and for the second time today, she felt very exposed. She watched him as he grabbed a condom from his backpack and stripped himself.

****

When he climbed back atop her, the possessive façade slipped for a moment.

****

“You good?” He asked as he rolled the condom.

****

“Yeah, I’m good.”

****

“Ok.”

****

Then his demeanor switched again as he slammed into her without warning.

****

“Fuck!” She shouted.

****

The couch slammed rhythmically against the wall with every shift of their bodies. And if that didn’t give them away, the constant stream of four-letter words from her and grunts from Aaron did.

****

Aaron kissed her brusquely again as she neared the edge.

****

“Say it again.” He growled into her ear as his thrusts became more sloppy.

****

“I’m yours. Only yours. Fuck!” She shouted as she came.

****

Aaron panted against her slick skin as he pushed for his own release. She was still seeing stars when he let out a string of cuss words and shudder on top of her.

****

Even if she tried, Amelia wasn’t entirely sure she was going to be able to move. Aaron, meanwhile, began to roll off her but then suddenly fell to the floor.

****

Amelia burst out laughing hysterically as Aaron laid sprawled naked on the floor of his dressing room.

****

“I misjudged the size of the couch.” He said, laughing with her.

****

She couldn’t stop laughing at him. He managed to collect himself from the floor and squeezed himself against her side on the couch.

****

“Are you done?” He asked with a joking tone.

****

“Just about.”

****

He kissed the edge of her jaw as the last of the giggles left her.

****

“Sorry, babe.” He said.

****

“For what?”

****

“For being a possessive asshole. I just had a bit of a moment.”

****

She tangled their limbs together as best she could, and he could feel the dampness between her legs.

****

“If you think I haven’t felt that way myself over the years, then you’re crazy.”

****

“That’s reassuring. It’s just really weird to think that after nearly a decade of being the only one seeing you dressed like that, now hundreds of people will. Sometimes twice a day.”

****

“You’re not the one having to do it.”

****

“You’re right.”

****

“I felt quite…self-conscious earlier.”

****

“I know it’s easy for me to say this but don’t. You looked gorgeous.”

****

She smiled shyly at him.

****

“Really?”

****

“Yes. Really.”

****

She burrowed her head against his chest and under his chin. He kissed the top of her head.

****

“I guess we’re both going to have to get used to all of this, huh?” She said.

****

“I guess so. It should be fun in the end.”

****

She hummed in response.

****

“Also, for the record, possessive Aaron is welcome anytime if this is the result.” She said.

****

He chuckled and readjusted so that he could kiss her. He smiled into the kiss when he felt her flex her toes against his shins.

****

“Do you think anyone heard us?” Amelia asked.

****

Aaron was going to answer her when Amelia’s phone suddenly started ringing. Aaron grappled for her pants and extracted it.

****

“It’s Karen.”

****

“Olivo?”

****

“What other Karen would be calling you these days?”

****

“Well, answer it.”

****

Aaron answered the call and put it on speaker.

****

“Uh…Hello?” Amelia said.

****

“Alright, listen. We’re gonna have to figure out some sort of soundproofing system if you guys are going to be having quickies all the time.”

****

* * *

****

“WHY? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?? OH, YOU HAVE TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME!”

****

Amelia let out a giggle as Aaron angrily yelled at the football game on the television.

****

“And you! You can cork it! Your entire conference isn’t even playing football this year.”

****

Amelia pouted at him. That was rubbing salt in the wound.

****

“Hey. Rumors are flying that we’re coming back.”

****

If looks could kill, Amelia would have been dead by now.

****

“Look, Tveit. It’s not my fault that the Cowboys can’t get their shit together.”

****

“Says the woman whose team hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 2011.”

****

Her jaw dropped.

****

“Low fucking blow Aaron Tveit. Low blow.”

****

She wasn’t that upset, but she still didn’t need the reminder. He flopped down onto the couch next to her, and she handed his beer back to him. He took a long swig but continued to angrily scowl at the tv.

****

She gave him a look from the side and took a sip of her own beer.

****

“Ezekiel Elliot is still a piece of trash.”

****

Aaron glared at her.

****

“I mean who tattoos ‘Feed Me’ on their own body. That’s all I’m saying.”

****

She didn’t break eye contact with him as she drank her beer. He just ignored her and went back to staring at the tv. He was clearly still fuming at the game. She finished her beer and put it off to the side. She then started to scoot closer toward him. She nuzzled her nose against his arm and then looked up at him. He didn’t snap at her, and his eyes were still fixed on the tv. She took that as her cue to try and duck her head under his arm.

****

He didn’t say anything as he lifted his arm up so she could snuggle against his side. She burrowed her head against his chest as she watched the Cowboys-Rams game with him.

****

She couldn’t stop her smile when he tangled the hand that rested against her shoulder into her hair.

****

* * *

****

Aaron didn’t often post on social media. And unless it was worth it, he rarely posted photos of Amelia. If anything, it was their castmates who would post behind the scenes photos of them. They always managed to catch the little moments between the long-time couple that Aaron loved.

****

But this morning, she was so cute as she got ready to go film the new season of SVU. She was slated for a role on the new Law and Order spin-off, but they were starting with Law and Order: SVU first.

****

Amelia thought Aaron had fallen back asleep, so when she turned around to kiss him good-bye, she wasn’t expecting his phone to be in her face.

****

“Are you taking pictures?” She asked hands on her hips.

****

“No. Of course not.”

****

The camera made a loud clicking noise as he continued to snap photos of her.

****

“Aaron.” She whined.

****

He laughed.

****

“Stop.”

****

She reached out a hand to try and cover the camera, but he just pulled it away from her. She growled when he held it out of her reach.

****

She clambered up onto the bed, black studded Louboutin’s and all, to straddle his hips. She pinned his arms down, and he grinned up at her as he managed to take one last photo.

****

“Gimme a kiss, and I’ll stop.”

****

“I’m holding your arms down. You have to do what I say now.”

****

Aaron raised an eyebrow at her.

****

“Babe. We both know that I can flip us over and have you begging in about two seconds.”

****

Amelia’s eyes darkened.

****

“I don’t have time for this. I have to leave.”

****

“One kiss.”

****

She rolled her dilated eyes but leaned down to kiss him anyway. He deepened it, which made her smile.

****

“You know. I think the beard has grown on me.”

****

He closed his eyes as she freed a hand to run it across his jaw.

****

“It’s not a full-on beard yet.”

****

She shrugged.

****

“It’s more than normal. Kinda like how it feels now that it’s less stubbly.”

****

“Duly noted.”

****

He used his newly freed hand to cup the back of her head and pull her down, so their lips met again.

****

“Gotta go.” She whispered.

****

“Have fun today.”

****

“I’ll call you when I’m on my way home.”

****

“Ok. Love you.”

****

“Love you too.”

****

Two hours later, she was sitting in the makeup chair, coffee in hand, when her phone dinged.

****

**A A R O N T V E I T mentioned you in his story.**

****

“Oh God.” She said softly to herself.

****

She opened the notification and found that he had posted several images. 

****

The first was actually a nice photo of her. Her hair was cascading down her back as she sat on their bed, bending towards the ground. She must have been zipping up her shoes. 

****

**My**

****

The next was less flattering. She was standing with her hands on her hips, clearly in the process of yelling at him.

****

**Little**

****

The one after that was a somewhat blurry shot of her reaching for the camera.

****

**(Working)**

****

The next one was hard to tell that it was her. All she could really see was a mass of swinging hair and her leather jacket-clad shoulder. 

****

**Lady**

****

The last photo was amazing. Aaron had caught Amelia as she looked at him with a deep tenderness on her face that she had never seen before. She realized at that moment that must be how she always looked at him. That thought made her heart clench.

****

**@ameshillux ❤️**

****

* * *

****

Amelia laid down gingerly and tried to get comfortable. It was getting more and more difficult with her growing bump. She was 7 months now—only two more to go.

****

Aaron was sitting next to her in bed, his back braced against the headboard as he read his book. She fidgeted as she tried to readjust and tangled one of her hands with Aaron’s.

****

“Comfy?” He asked.

****

“No.” She said honestly.

****

He extracted his hand from hers and smoothed down her hair affectionately.

****

“Sorry, baby.”

****

“It’s alright. The nugget just won’t let me get comfortable.”

****

He hummed in sympathy and went back to his book. She just focused on her breathing as she inhaled through her nose and exhaled from her mouth.

****

But their nugget had other ideas. She let a noise of discomfort and shot a hand to her bump.

****

“Babe?”

****

“We’re fine. The nugget is just doing the Can-Can against my stomach.”

****

Aaron laughed.

****

“Come here.” She said.

****

She pulled on their conjoined hands, and he acquiesced. He put his book down and wedged himself against her side. She pulled his hand and placed it on her stomach where their baby was kicking.

****

“Woah!”

****

“Feel that?”

****

“Yeah. Wow. That’s the nugget, huh?”

****

Aaron snuggled closer to her and looked at her bump in awe.

****

“They really are doing the Can-Can.” Aaron said.

****

“Our little nugget is a bohemian.”

****

Aaron kissed her, and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling against his lips. Aaron pecked her forehead and maneuvered his way back down to the bump.

****

“You should try talking. They should be able to hear you now. I think they’ll like the sound of your voice.” She said.

****

Aaron looked a bit nervous at the idea but decided to try it anyway.

****

“Hello? Uh, hi, nugget. This is your Daddy.”

****

Amelia felt the baby kick and knew Aaron did too.

****

“They can hear me.” He said.

****

She ran a hand through his hair when she realized how choked up he was getting.

****

“Yeah, honey.”

****

Aaron let out a teary chuckle.

****

“Do you think they’ll like it if I sing?”

****

“I’m sure, Aar.”

****

He rested his ear against her stomach and reached across her hips to take her free hand in his.

****

“Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderful?”

****

Aaron traced circles against her stomach, trying to see if the baby would kick at the sound of his voice.  
“Isn’t she precious? Less than one minute old.”

****

Amelia closed her eyes and let the sound of Aaron’s voice reverberate across their bedroom.

****

“I never thought through love we’d be, making one as lovely as she.”

****

Aaron tugged on their conjoined hands, and Amelia looked down at him. He lifted his head from her stomach and crawled up to her.

****

“But isn’t she lovely made from love?” He sang.

****

He kissed her sweetly as he cradled her jaw in his palm. He gave her one final peck as they separated.

****

She pushed a hand into his hair, brushing it from his eyes.

****

“We don’t even know if it’s a girl, you goof.”

****

“I know. Just call it intuition. Plus, I really like the last few lines of that verse.”

****

She hummed in agreement.

****

“Very apropos.” She said.

****

She felt a kick then, and her hand flew to it. Aaron’s free hand followed hers, and they felt for the kick together.

****

“I think nugget agrees with my choice of song.” Aaron said.

****

“That or they just like the sound of your voice. I know that I do.”

****

He gave a little chuckle and settled his ear back onto her stomach, listening for the sound of their baby’s heartbeat.

****

* * *

****

Amelia unlocked the door to the apartment and dragged her groceries in behind her. She could hear Aaron speaking to someone in the living room. She dropped off the bags in the kitchen and went to say hello to him.

****

His hood was covering his head when she heard Ricky’s voice.

****

“Take the hood off, bro!”

****

“What the hell is going on?” Amelia said from the doorway.

****

Aaron was giggling like the goofball he was as he shoved the hood off his head. Aaron’s long hair was now mussed and unruly. Between his hair, the new beard, and the bright smile he sent her way, he looked exceptionally handsome.

****

She really just wanted to kiss him.

****

“Mi Amor! I miss you!” Ricky’s voice emanated from Aaron’s phone.

****

Amelia hurried to Aaron’s side and all but pushed him out of the way.

****

“Hey!” Aaron said indignantly.

****

Amelia just ignored him.

****

“Cacahuate! I miss you too!”

****

Aaron shifted so that they were both in the frame and slid his arm around Amelia’s waist.

****

“How come you guys have cute nicknames for each other, and I don’t get one.”

****

Amelia turned to Aaron, who was pouting playfully at her.

****

“It’s cause I’m his favorite Tveit.”

****

She smirked at him, and he glared at her jokingly.

****

“Bullshit. Ricky?”

****

“Hey, I plead the fifth.” He said, holding his hands up in surrender.

****

Amelia went to get up so the boys could continue their Livestream, but Aaron hooked a finger into her jeans’ belt loop. Apparently, she was staying for the moment.

****

She leaned closer to the camera to try and read the comments. She could feel Aaron’s body heat as their heads were only a millimeter apart. Her fingers twitched against his thigh.

****

“Too many words. Oh my Gosh.” She lamented.

****

Amelia tried to read as the words flew on the video screen. Most of it was the audience reacting to Amelia’s arrival and the flirting between her and Aaron. Once that calmed down, the questions started to come in.

****

“Oh this is a good one. Favorite number in the show. Ames?” Ricky asked.

****

“Oh 100% Roxanne. It’s my favorite choreography without a doubt.”

****

Amelia squeezed Aaron’s thigh with the hand that had been twitching against it earlier.

****

“And this guy makes me cry almost every night with his performance.”

****

Aaron smiled at her gratefully, and she squeezed his thigh again.

****

“I’d have to say Roxanne or Elephant Love Medley.” Aaron said.

****

“You always make me laugh during Elephant Love Medley with your imitations.” Amelia commented.

****

The questions continued to pour in, and the trio tried to answer as many as they could.

****

“Amelia?”

****

“Yeah, Ricky?”

****

“Thoughts on the beard?”

****

Amelia felt the blood rush to her face. She turned to Aaron to see him smiling at her. He ran his pointer finger down her cheek.

****

“You’re blushing.”

****

“Yes. Thank you for pointing that out.”

****

Aaron and Ricky laughed at her.

****

“To answer the question. Uh yeah, I do like the beard.”

****

“She likes it a lot.” Aaron pipped in.

****

“Nobody asked you.” She snapped back.

****

She tried to put her hand over his mouth, but he just licked it.

****

“Hey! Ew!” She whined.

****

The boys laughed at her again, and she just grumbled bitterly.

****

“Yes, I like the beard a lot. Can we please move on now?”

****

Ricky looked for the next question, but Amelia felt Aaron’s gaze on her.

****

“Stop staring at me.” She hissed, praying the feed wouldn’t pick up her voice.

****

She turned to face him, and he was staring at her with such heat that Amelia thought she was going to combust.

****

“I really want to kiss you right now.” He whispered lowly.

****

She bit her lip as that’s what she wanted too.

****

“Aaron!” Ricky yelled.

****

“What?”

****

“Are you paying attention?”

****

“No I’m not.” He said honestly.

****

“Well, focus!” He yelled.

****

“I better go.” Amelia said.

****

Aaron noticeably pouted.

****

“I have groceries to put away.”

****

“Bye, mi amor! I love you.” Ricky said, waving like a maniac.

****

“Bye, cacahuate! Love you too. Stay healthy everyone, and enjoy harassing my husband with embarrassing questions.”

****

Amelia cupped his jaw and pecked his lips quickly. When they pulled apart, she could see how badly he wanted to keep kissing her.

****

She got up and made sure she was out of view from the camera. He followed her with his eyes.

****

“After?” She mouthed with an eyebrow raised.

****

He winked at her, and her whole body shivered in anticipation.

****

* * *

****

Amelia laid with her head in Aaron’s lap as he watched the US Open. He had a hand in her hair and was playing with it absentmindedly.

****

“So what’s an eagle again?”

****

“It’s two strokes under par.” He said.

****

She hummed.

****

“That’s good, right?”

****

“Yeah, but it doesn’t happen all that often.”

****

She nodded against his thigh and stretched her legs towards the edge of the couch.

****

“What’s a birdie?” She asked

****

Aaron didn’t even take his eyes off the tv to look at her.

****

“Uh, it’s one stroke under par.”

****

He kept running a hand through her hair, and it felt amazing.

****

“Why are the scoring terms all related to birds?”

****

Aaron stopped moving.

****

“Babe.”

****

She rotated her head to see that he was looking down at her.

****

“What?”

****

He cupped her cheek.

****

“Just watch.” He said.

****

“Right. Sorry.”

****

She turned her head back to the TV, and he went back to playing with her hair. It was silent for a while as the couple watched the players swing their clubs.

****

“Is Tiger Woods playing?” She asked.

****

“Ames!”

****

“Sorry!”

****

* * *

****

Amelia turned on the side lamp on Aaron’s side of the bed, finally pulled back the covers, and buried herself under the duvet.

****

It was quiet in Aaron’s Los Angeles rental apartment, which was so unlike the constant bustle outside their home in New York.

****

Aaron had asked her to come to Los Angeles early as he missed her desperately. There were only five days until the premiere of Grease Live, and then the newlyweds would be on their way to their honeymoon.

****

But in the meantime, Amelia was doing her best to make herself as scarce as possible. She had never experienced a production as unique as this but hell week was still hell week. She didn’t mind, though; she was more than capable of keeping herself occupied. Plus, she and Mary were in the middle of negotiations for her next big project that she would tackle when they got back from their honeymoon.

****

Aaron, meanwhile, just appreciated having her here. It was just nice to literally and, more often than not, figuratively sleep with her.

****

Speaking of sleeping, Amelia was half asleep when she heard the bedroom door open. She startled awake and sprung up in the partial darkness.

****

“Just me.” He said quietly.

****

“Oh.” She said.

****

She sleepily collapsed back down onto the pillow, and Aaron just chuckled at her as he stripped off his clothes.

****

He tossed his dirty clothes into the hamper and pulled back the covers. He slid beneath them, turning off the light on the nightstand.

****

He wrapped an arm around her body, clad in her black satin slip, and buried his face into the crook of her neck. She turned slowly in his hold to face him.

****

“Hi, baby.” He whispered.

****

“Hi.”

****

She looked adorable as she blinked drowsily in his arms. He kissed her gently, and when they pulled apart, she looked a little more awake.

****

“How was your day?” She asked, her voice hoarse.

****

“Madness, as you can imagine.”

****

She hummed in understanding and smoothed her hands over his chest hair.

****

“But fun at least?” She asked, struggling to stay awake.

****

“Oh, definitely.”

****

She was too silent now.

****

“Ames?”

****

She grunted in slight acknowledgment as she was seconds from falling asleep against his chest.

****

“I need a favor tomorrow.”

****

“What?” She slurred, barely coherent now.

****

“I need you to help me rehearse tomorrow.”

****

“K.”

****

“Are you sure you have time?”

****

But she didn’t respond. She had fallen entirely back asleep and was breathing softly against his chest. He decided to just let her sleep now, settled into a comfortable position, and fell asleep himself.

****

The next morning Aaron was sliding a cup of coffee in Amelia’s direction. She bent over to grab the milk from the fridge and giggled when she realized Aaron was pointedly looking away from her exposed bottom.

****

She poured the milk in as Aaron wrapped his arms around her hips.

****

“I really like this slip.”

****

“Hmm. Good to know. I’ll be sure to pack it for South Africa.”

****

She turned in his hold and stretched onto her toes to kiss him. They broke apart when she snapped back down to the floor.

****

She disengaged herself from his arms and took a seat on one of the bar stools, coffee in hand. She surveyed him over her cup as she took a sip. The sight of his bare abs and tantalizing happy trail made her mouth water.

****

“You know I had a crazy dream last night that you asked me to rehearse with you.”

****

“You weren’t dreaming.” Aaron said.

****

Amelia nearly choked on her coffee.

****

“What?”

****

“Yeah, I need help because Julianne has a last minute costume fitting.”

****

“What number?”

****

“You’re the One That I Want.”

****

Amelia’s eyes grew.

****

“You don’t have that down by now?”

****

“I do, but it’s tech week. You know how it is.”

****

She did know. She also knew he wouldn’t be asking her unless he really felt like he needed the help.

****

“Ok, I’ll help. But I’m going to need the routine. I don’t want to just wing it.”

****

He hastened to her, placing his hands on her bare thighs.

****

“You’re amazing. I love you.”

****

“Uh-huh. I know.”

****

“Can I pay you back later?”

****

His right hand skated up her thigh and just brushed the edge of her pussy. She sucked in a breath at the feeling.

****

“Uh yeah, you can.” She said, her voice strained.

****

He smiled as he withdrew his hand, leaving her feeling empty. He kissed her deeply, his tongue sliding into her mouth as she let out a whine.

****

“I’m sorry for teasing you. I shouldn’t have done that. I have to go change for rehearsal, or I’m going to be late.” He said when they finally stopped kissing.

****

She pouted.

****

“Sorry gorgeous.”

****

He ran his hand up her silk-clad side and kissed her again.

****

“I’ll survive. Go change.”

****

“I’ll send you the choreography footage.”

****

She gave him a thumbs-up as she went back to her coffee.

****

Amelia was nothing if not a perfectionist. The second Aaron sent her the choreography, she moved his furniture around, so she had enough space to practice. She was going to make this as easy for him as possible. She wanted to help him, not hinder him.

****

She even tried to dress for the occasion as best she could. She didn’t have red heels, but she had gold ones. She also didn’t have leather pants or a black form fitting top, but she did have tight skinny jeans and a black crop top.

****

Some bright red lipstick completed the look, and Amelia was quite proud of herself for how put together she looked. She made her way to the studio after passing through security. She could feel everyone staring at her as she walked. She smiled slyly to herself, excited to think that they could look, but nobody else other than Aaron was allowed to touch now.

****

She eventually made her way to the carnival set. It was bustling with people as the crew was still working to put it all together. She spotted Aaron from a mile away as his bright red Rydell High cardigan stuck out like a sore thumb.

****

“Who is that?” Amelia heard someone ask.

****

Aaron turned around, and a grin broke out across his face.

****

“That would be my wife.”

****

She finally reached him, and her smile peeked out from beneath her now deep red lips. She spun for him and again could feel all the eyes on her.

****

“Well. How do I look?”

****

Aaron let out a low whistle and looked her up and down.

****

“Amazing.”

****

She smiled wider.

****

“I tried to channel my inner slutty Sandy, so I’m glad you approve.”

****

“With you looking like that, how could I not approve?”

****

Now that they were closer, she realized he was in full costume. His 50s styled hair should have been a dead giveaway. It looked great, but the tight black jeans were really sending her into a tizzy.

****

“You ready to start?” She asked.

****

“We’re waiting for one more person, and then we’re good.”

****

She pulled her phone from her bra, much to Aaron’s amusement.

****

“What? The pockets on these jeans suck.”

****

He shook his head in disbelief.

****

“Still negotiating with Mary?”

****

“Yeah. It’s exhausting.”

****

“Are you guys close at least?”

****

“I hope so.”

****

She shot a look at his castmates, who were clearly within earshot.

****

“We can talk about it more…later.”

****

He nodded and looked up at some commotion by the door.

****

“Oh, good. Everyone’s here now. Let’s get this show on the road.” He said.

****

“Where do you want me?” She asked.

****

He steered her toward the correct mark, his hands firmly on her shoulders.

****

“Here.”

****

“Ok.”

****

“Thanks again for this, babe.”

****

“Don’t thank me yet. I’m not sure how helpful I’m going to be.”

****

“Oh, please. We both know how amazing of a dancer you are. You’ll be fine. Let’s go, everyone.” He said, and he took his place across from her.

****

Amelia took a deep breath and then spoke.

****

“Tell me about it. Stud.”

****

The familiar beat kicked in, and she could feel the adrenaline start to course through her veins. There really was nothing like performing, even if this was just a favor to Aaron.

****

Aaron faux fainted as his castmates caught him, and Amelia couldn’t stop the laugh from escaping. But then he began to sing, and she snapped quickly back into character.

****

“I’ve got chills. They’re multiplying.”

****

He stripped as he sang, and Amelia had to fight to keep herself in check. The sight of his biceps rippling was enough to make her want to drag him back to his apartment.

****

“And I’m losing control.”

****

He slithered down her body, and the look he sent her made her think that her knees were going to buckle. She put her hand under his chin and pulled him back up to eye level.

****

“Cause the power you’re supplying.”

****

She shoved him, and he stumbled back dramatically.

****

“It’s electrifying!”

****

Aaron slid back and then suddenly did a backflip, which caused Amelia to completely stop moving.

****

“You can do a backflip?! Since when can you do a backflip?” She demanded.

****

But the music kept playing, and Amelia had to hurry to his side. She put a hand on his chest as she sang, and he grasped her waist, grinning lovingly at her.

****

“You better shape up. Cause I need a man. And my heart is set on you.” She crooned, her hands grasping his jaw for a moment.

****

They continued to sprint through the set, and Amelia nearly melted into him when he pulled off the lift. The sheer look of love in his eyes as he set her back down made her want to kiss him desperately.

****

“The one that I want. You are the one that I want. Hoo, hoo, hoo. Honey.”

****

Amelia and Aaron turned to each other as they made their way “downstage.” Amelia clung to the back of his neck as he gripped her waist.

****

“You’re what I need. Oh, yes, indeed.”

****

The next verse came, and Amelia was enjoying the hell out of teasing him.

****

“If you’re filled with affection. You’re too shy to convey.” 

****

But then he started to crawl along the floor towards her, and she nearly broke character again. He had a look of unbridled need on his face, and it certainly wasn’t appropriate outside of their bedroom.

****

Thankfully, Amelia was able to get back at him a little. Her ass had always been his favorite body part, and so she knew that when she swung her hips, ass brushing his front quickly, it was going to tempt him.

****

“Meditate my direction.”

****

She hiked her leg up to Aaron’s hip, and he slid his hand over it. His gaze was burning holes into her.

****

“Feel your way.”

****

She shoved him again, and he yelled excitedly as he stumbled this time.

****

“I better shape up. Cause you need a man.”

****

“I need a man who can keep me satisfied.”

****

Her eyes flashed teasingly at him, and he flushed as they danced side by side.

****

“I better shape up if I’m gonna prove.”

****

Aaron gripped her hands, and she didn’t miss his fingers playing with the rings on her left hand.

****

“You better prove that my fate is justified.”

****

She twirled under his extended arm as they continued to sing.

****

“Are you sure? Yes, I’m sure down deep inside.”

****

She laughed joyfully as they alternated sides. As the number continued, Amelia grew more and more impressed with him. His dancing and his footwork were immaculate. Given that she was unfamiliar with the number, she was actually struggling to keep up with him.

****

“The one that I want. You are the one that I want. Hoo, hoo, hoo. Honey.”

****

They came back together, and again Amelia gripped his jaw.

****

“The one I need. Oh, yes, indeed.”

****

They made their way back to the center of the set, and Amelia threw her arms over Aaron’s shoulders.

****

“The one that I want. You are the one that I want. Hoo, hoo, hoo. Honey.”

****

Aaron leaned back as she leaned forward. Both of them were grinning like fools, and if she was being honest, this was the happiest she had felt in a few weeks.

****

“The one I need. Oh, yes, indeed.”

****

The number was nearing the end, and the Tveits were smack in the center.

****

“You’re the one that I want.”

****

Amelia jumped up into his arms, and he held her beneath her bottom. She gazed down at him as they both panted from exerting so much energy. During the show, Aaron would drop Julianne after a few moments.

****

But with Amelia, it was different. She just tightened her legs around his hips as he did the same with his arms, which were wrapped around her shoulders. She kissed him greedily, and he grinned into the kiss.

****

She didn’t want to stop kissing him, but someone cleared their throat behind her. She reluctantly unwrapped her legs, her tongue still tangled with his as she did so, and Aaron let her down to the ground. When her feet hit the hardwood, they broke apart due to the height difference. She let out a little whimper at the loss of his lips, and he smiled softly at her.

****

“Kiss me.” She whined quietly.

****

She searched for his lips desperately, but he put a stop to it by holding her at arm’s length and kissing her forehead.

****

“I can’t. Not right now.”

****

She pouted noticeably, making him laugh before he turned his attention to his castmates.

****

“How was that?”

****

And with the question, he was gone from her side and back to work. An hour later, Amelia was now waiting for him back at the apartment. She had readjusted her makeup a bit after their baby make-out session but still hadn’t changed out of her “costume” as Mary had called her about the negotiations.

****

“Honey, I’m home!” Aaron yelled.

****

He walked into the bright living room in an attempt to find her. She held up her finger as she held her phone to her ear.

****

“I trust you, Mar. Close the deal, send me the paperwork, and then finally this shit will be over.”

****

Aaron dropped his backpack onto the floor and sidled up to her. Now it was her turn to hold him at arm’s length as he tried desperately to pepper her face and throat with kisses.

****

“Ok. Thanks, Mar. Yeah, I’ll tell him you said hello.”

****

“Hi, Mary!” He yelled as he successfully managed to kiss the spot beneath her earlobe.

****

“Jesus! Loud much?” She said, glaring at him.

****

He just laughed.

****

“Alright. Yeah. Bye, Mary.”

****

“Bye, Mary!”

****

She hung up and glared at him.

****

“What?” He asked innocently.

****

She shook her head at him but wrapped her arms around his neck anyway.

****

“Since when can you do a fucking backflip?”

****

Aaron’s eyes lit up at her words.

****

“I’m a man of many surprises, Mrs. Tveit.”

****

“Apparently.”

****

He suddenly shifted his arms, so they rested under her ass and lifted her up. She squeaked at the movement and gripped him in alarm. He moved them to the couch and maneuvered her so that she was straddling his lap.

****

She could smell the mix of his sweat and cologne emanating from him, and it made her mouth water. But she had to say what she had been thinking for several hours at this point before all logical thought left her.

****

“I was so impressed with you today.” She said, running her hand rhythmically through his hair.

****

“Were you?”

****

“Yeah. Aaron. Your dancing was so crisp, and your footwork was amazing.”

****

“That’s an absolute honor coming from you.”

****

“You should be very proud of yourself. I definitely am.”

****

Aaron smiled at her gratefully.

****

“You weren’t too shabby yourself. Everyone was floored by how quickly you picked up the choreography.”

****

She shrugged with faux humility.

****

“I try.”

****

“And your ass in those jeans? My God. I couldn’t concentrate.”

****

“Yeah, I kinda planned that.”

****

“I knew it!”

****

His hands drifted to her aforementioned derriere. She mewled when he slipped both hands beneath her waistband and squeezed. Somehow she was able to string together a coherent sentence in response.

****

“Are you finally going to kiss me back now?”

****

His earlier actions had caused her to press her hips against his, and now her still deep red lips were inches from his mouth.

****

“I kissed you back earlier.”

****

“Don’t be smart with me. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

****

Her eyes bore into his blue gaze, and she felt whole.

****

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

****

He didn’t look sorry whatsoever.

****

“Just kiss me.” She demanded.

****

He grinned as he pressed a bruising kiss to her lips, his hands squeezing her bottom again, causing her to arch her back into him.

****

* * *

****

Amelia had to fight back her emotions as the beat started for the encore number. It may be a slightly less structured number than, say, Backstage Romance or the Diamonds medley, but she still had to nail her choreography. This was the last time she was going to do this, and she was going to give it her all.

****

“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? Hey, hey, hey!” Amelia sang, holding her arm to the sky as she hit the high note and sashayed upstage quickly.

****

She met Hank at the center of the stage as they danced together. He was mindful not to touch her bump as much as possible. She trusted Hank with her life, but she still felt uncomfortable when anyone touched it. Even Aaron startled her every once and awhile.

****

Hank hit the ground, and Amelia straddled him between her feet. The Lady Ms danced in tandem with their footwork impeccable as always. Then they made their way back toward the audience, and Amelia took her rightful place in the center.

****

“Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir? Creole Lady Marmalade!”

****

The men of the show burst onto the stage, and Amelia’s adrenaline was pumping. It was certainly a welcome change from constant nausea she lived with these days.

****

“Hey ya! Hey ya!” Amelia sang.

****

She and the other Lady Ms had joined the rest of the ensemble on the main stage. She was trying desperately to imprint every second of this moment to memory.

****

Then Danny arrived, and Amelia broke into a wide grin. After extended applause from the crowd, they began the call and response. He hollered at them, and she couldn’t stop smiling.

****

“Hi-de hi-de-hi-de-hi.” Danny yelled.

****

“Hi-de hi-de-hi-de-hi.” Amelia yelled back.

****

“Ho-de ho-de-ho-de-ho.”

****

“Ho-de ho-de-ho-de-ho.”

****

Amelia had turned to Holly and sang goofily in her face causing her friend to laugh. Danny kept going with the call and response, alternating through lyrics quickly. Then he descended from the stairs.

****

“What’s love got to do, got to do with it?”

****

He turned his head toward the right and cupped Amelia’s face lovingly. She felt the tears prick at her eyes as she knew he was, in effect, saying goodbye.

****

“What’s love got to do, got to do with it?” She sang back.

****

He patted her cheek before continuing with the rest of the song. Amelia found herself dancing off stage quickly before she knew it, while the rest of the ensemble danced in a massive conga circle.

****

It was chaos as per usual as everyone prepared themselves for the bows. And Amelia found herself choking up at the familiar sight.

****

“Oh, babes. Don’t cry.” Holly said.

****

She cupped her face and was wiping the tears from her cheeks.

****

“I’m trying. It’s the hormones and the leaving. I’m just a mess. It’s fine.” She said rambling.

****

Holly kissed her forehead and ran to her spot in the line for bows entrances. Amelia went to get in her place when a hand snagged her wrist.

****

“Hey. I love you.”

****

Aaron’s blue gaze bore into her as he pulled her in closer to his body. He placed a hand on her more noticeable bump, rubbing his thumb across her laced-clad skin.

****

“Both of you. Enjoy this moment.”

****

He kissed her quickly, and then she had to hasten to her spot in line. As was the norm, she came after Jeigh, Holly, and Jacqueline but before Robyn and Ricky. Amelia had resisted having a separate bow from the other three, but they and most of the cast frankly had insisted, so she yielded.

****

For tonight though, they had toyed with the idea that she should come out with Aaron instead. But that would throw everything off, and so they decided against it.

****

As she watched the other three Lady Ms go out, she had to take a deep breath to keep from crying again. This was it. This was the end.

****

She left the wings, and the roar of the cast and crew had never been so loud before. She thought she could even hear Aaron bellowing from the wings. Amelia strutted towards the audience with everything she had. She hit her mark, slid one hand down her thigh in a seductive manner while the other trailed up her side. Then she posed before she bowed.

****

She went off to the left and waited for everyone else so they could gesture to the pit and the rest of the crew. Like every night, she screamed like a maniac when Aaron came out. He gestured to Karen, and when he looked in her direction, he winked at Amelia.

****

Then it came for the whole cast to bow, and someone, probably Holly, shoved her to the front. Aaron, ever observant, noticed her presence immediately and slipped his hand into hers. They bowed as a cast as Aaron laughed at something Ricky said.

****

“Ooh!” The cast sang in unison as they linked arms.

****

Amelia laughed as she kicked as high as she could. It wasn’t as easy now with a baby bump. She laughed even harder when she slammed into Aaron as she circled toward him and then kept giggling when he smacked into her in return.

****

The cast broke apart, and Aaron started dancing like an idiot. She knew he was trying to make her laugh. Luckily it was working.

****

“Everybody can can!” They sang.

****

The music finally stopped, and Amelia just couldn’t believe that it was over. She was blinking rapidly as she fought back the tears, and Aaron was at her side.

****

“Please don’t cry.”

****

She gave a watery chuckle.

****

“I’m trying.”

****

He cupped her face, as Holly had, and tried to wipe the tears that were rapidly falling. He kissed her, not caring one bit that the entire audience could see them.

****

“Ladies and Gentlemen. If I could have your attention, please.” Danny said.

****

“Oh God. Here we go.” Amelia said.

****

Aaron just kissed her temple as the crowd quieted.

****

“Thank you. Tonight, we say goodbye to one of our own. She is one of the kindest people I have ever met. And she is also one of the hardest workers I know. The anchor to our Lady Ms, Amelia Tveit. Ames?”

****

She squeezed Aaron’s hand and made her way to the front.

****

“Thank you, my friend, for your kind words. Everyone keeps telling me not to cry, but I’ve kinda given up at this point.”

****

The cast, crew, and audience laughed.

****

“I wanted to thank Alex Timbers, the goddess Sonya Tayeh, the genius Ms. Zuber and the rest of the crew for their passion and their unending support. To this amazing ensemble. It has been an honor working with all of you day in and day out. You make it fun to come to work.”

****

Amelia stomped her foot and looked to the ceiling as she tried not to cry.

****

“Sorry! To my dear Hank, thank you for being the best dance partner a girl could ask for. And particularly for carrying my weight when my morning coffee hadn’t kicked in yet.”

****

Hank laughed, and so did Amelia.

****

“To my darling Lady Ms, you were all a dream to work with, and it was an honor to dance with you. There are very few people that can lift me up as you all did daily.”

****

“To Karen, Ricky, Tam, and Danny. I love you all. It has been wonderful just to learn from you all, and I know that we will be friends for the rest of our lives.”

****

Amelia choked out a sob as she reached the last person. She felt the commotion behind her, and instinctively knew Aaron was beside her.

****

“And last but never least, to my Christian, the Composer. To the love of my life, my husband, Mister Aaron Tveit.”

****

She turned her head to face him, and he was crying too.

****

“Thank you for gracing us all with your talent. I am just in awe of you every single day.”

****

She took his hand and faced the crowd briefly.

****

“If this show has taught me anything, it’s that truly the greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and to be loved in return.”

****

Aaron let out a choked gasp as he realized what she was saying. She turned back to him and cupped his cheek.

****

“And I am so incredibly grateful that I found that with you.”

****

Aaron kissed her palm before she pulled away and faced the audience for the last time.

****

“And to all of you. Thank you for your support. It means so much to all of us, and I am eternally thankful for the support you all have shown me over the years. I can say without a doubt that the last several years has been the absolute journey of a lifetime. I’m so excited about the future and the new adventures to come.”

****

Amelia’s hand twitched for a moment as she nearly cupped her growing bump out of habit.

****

“All I have left to say is that I love you, New York. Good night!”

****

The cast all waved goodbye as the curtain dropped. Meanwhile, Amelia was finally able to crack completely, and her whole body was wracked with sobs.

****

“Oh, darling.” Aaron lamented.

****

He was crying too as he took her in his arms but not as badly as she was.

****

“It’s the fucking hormones.” She said.

****

Her comment was loud enough for most of the cast to hear, and they laughed. Aaron just gave a watery chuckle and kissed her deeply.

****

“I love you. That speech was amazing.” He said when they broke apart.

****

“I love you too. Believe me when I say that I meant every word of it. I’m so excited for the future.”

****

He untangled a hand from her hair and placed it atop her growing womb.

****

“Our future. You, me, and the nugget.”

****

She nodded and kissed him again. She placed a free hand atop his and waffled their fingers together. When they broke apart, she had never wanted him more in that moment.

****

He curled a finger around a strand of her hair and smiled at her.

****

“I know that look.”

****

She smiled coquettishly at him and pecked his lips.

****

“We should get home before the need leaves me again. It’s been all too fleeting recently.”

****

His gaze darkened much to her happiness, and he kissed her fiercely again. She could breathe for a second before he reconnected their lips with a gentle kiss this time.

****

“I love you, Mrs. Tveit.”

****

“I love you too.”

****

He partially unfurled himself from her hold to face the cast who had done an admirable job of minding their own business.

****

“My dear Bohemians!” He bellowed.

****

He squeezed her hand as he smiled at her.

****

“Let’s hear it for Amelia fucking Tveit.”

****

**Author's Note:**

> The draft for this bad boy was 104 pages lol. Also, if anyone wants to see photos of Amelia's lingerie, feel free to DM me.


End file.
